Meeting the Moment: Filling the Jobs in the Semiconductor Industry
The Semiconductor Industry Association, the foremost trade group in the space, projected that 67,000 of the new jobs the CHIPS Act will create are vulnerable to vacancy in 2030. Based on current degree completion rates, 58% of the new semiconductor and printed circuit board manufacturing and design positions generated through more than $50 billion in government investment and an additional $450 billion in private financing will be unfilled in six years.
As of 2022, East Asia was responsible for 75% of worldwide semiconductor production. The United States only claimed 10%. The CHIPS Act takes direct aim at this reality. The semiconductor industry must take an active role in supporting, subsidizing, and encouraging talented people to consider this career path in order to support new initiatives to reignite onshore growth.
Workforce is a massively important bottleneck for the industry and nation. America’s multi-decade decline in semiconductor manufacturing has led to a loss of necessary skills among its population, a Commerce Department official told Fortune in June. It will not be a quick process, and it can’t be done without the support of the semiconductor industry.
Building the hiring pipeline.
Many of these newly created jobs will require some level of certification or degree, as a large majority of the roles will call for engineers with four-year degrees, technicians with the proper certifications or two-year degrees, and computer scientists. But given the time and resources required to pursue these career paths, a collaborative approach must be utilized to generate not only awareness, but also interest in this field.
The youth have to be engaged – a sustainable workforce in such a vital industry demands it. The nation’s semiconductor producers should send representatives to schools to explain the technology and its role in our world. We should conduct community initiatives near fabrication plants to give back and demonstrate appreciation for the families who fuel us. Schools should take field trips to these plants to gain hands-on exposure to the industry. Our children need to know the opportunities the industry can offer.
Disproving outdated industry assumptions.
The industry has changed. It can now promise safe employment with quality pay, quality benefits, and upward mobility. Semiconductors will anchor the backbone of the American economy for many decades to come, creating long-term job stability in the process, another attractive element of the work.
Semiconductor fabrication plants are clean. They have to be, because any drop in standards could destroy hundreds of millions worth of material and machinery. Employees can expect hygienic and dignified working conditions.
This technology is at the forefront of the next frontier. Everything that will power the future, from wind turbines to AI, will incorporate semiconductors. Work around their design and production is critical to national security.
These are winning messages that must be relayed effectively to the public. No matter how accessible the education necessary for the positions is, people have to first know why it’s worth it.
Partnerships and collaborations.
The National Institute for Industry and Career Advancement (NIICA), previously known as the National Institute for Innovation and Technology, is one already-established piece of the puzzle. The NIICA has organized more than 80 local and regional apprentice programs in 17 states to inject almost 5,000 students into paid workforce training programs since the start of 2023. The group is also tied in with community colleges and universities to promote the semiconductor industry to their student bodies.
These partnerships are integral to getting the jobs filled. Further incentives, like sponsored scholarships or employment guarantees upon graduations may prove effective as well.
You can’t force people into jobs they don’t want or can’t do. If this dilemma goes unsolved, investments will fail, communities will suffer, and America will lose. It is on the shoulders of the semiconductor industry to attract, train, and champion the American worker into the future.
As of 2022, East Asia was responsible for 75% of worldwide semiconductor production. The United States only claimed 10%. The CHIPS Act takes direct aim at this reality. The semiconductor industry must take an active role in supporting, subsidizing, and encouraging talented people to consider this career path in order to support new initiatives to reignite onshore growth.
Workforce is a massively important bottleneck for the industry and nation. America’s multi-decade decline in semiconductor manufacturing has led to a loss of necessary skills among its population, a Commerce Department official told Fortune in June. It will not be a quick process, and it can’t be done without the support of the semiconductor industry.
Building the hiring pipeline.
Many of these newly created jobs will require some level of certification or degree, as a large majority of the roles will call for engineers with four-year degrees, technicians with the proper certifications or two-year degrees, and computer scientists. But given the time and resources required to pursue these career paths, a collaborative approach must be utilized to generate not only awareness, but also interest in this field.
The youth have to be engaged – a sustainable workforce in such a vital industry demands it. The nation’s semiconductor producers should send representatives to schools to explain the technology and its role in our world. We should conduct community initiatives near fabrication plants to give back and demonstrate appreciation for the families who fuel us. Schools should take field trips to these plants to gain hands-on exposure to the industry. Our children need to know the opportunities the industry can offer.
Disproving outdated industry assumptions.
The industry has changed. It can now promise safe employment with quality pay, quality benefits, and upward mobility. Semiconductors will anchor the backbone of the American economy for many decades to come, creating long-term job stability in the process, another attractive element of the work.
This technology is at the forefront of the next frontier. Everything that will power the future, from wind turbines to AI, will incorporate semiconductors. Work around their design and production is critical to national security.
These are winning messages that must be relayed effectively to the public. No matter how accessible the education necessary for the positions is, people have to first know why it’s worth it.
Partnerships and collaborations.
The National Institute for Industry and Career Advancement (NIICA), previously known as the National Institute for Innovation and Technology, is one already-established piece of the puzzle. The NIICA has organized more than 80 local and regional apprentice programs in 17 states to inject almost 5,000 students into paid workforce training programs since the start of 2023. The group is also tied in with community colleges and universities to promote the semiconductor industry to their student bodies.
These partnerships are integral to getting the jobs filled. Further incentives, like sponsored scholarships or employment guarantees upon graduations may prove effective as well.
You can’t force people into jobs they don’t want or can’t do. If this dilemma goes unsolved, investments will fail, communities will suffer, and America will lose. It is on the shoulders of the semiconductor industry to attract, train, and champion the American worker into the future.
AdvancedPCB
Browse
All Categories
Recent Posts
View Recent Posts