Community Colleges Rush to Expand Semiconductor Training as Labor Shortage Looms U.S. Chip Industry

For three years, Ethan Mock worked part-time at a gym to make ends meet while taking on more than $100,000 in debt to pursue a degree in business administration. Earlier this year — his fifth and final at Northern Arizona University — he began looking beyond his major for a stable career.

So, in July, when he learned over the radio about a tuition-free, three-month semiconductor crash course at Rio Salado College, he signed up immediately, despite having no background in the field. The draw: the community college’s new program offered students a chance to interview with major chipmakers in Arizona.

Two months later, clad in protective gear inside a lab, Mock was operating advanced machinery used to turn thin slices of silicon into semiconductor chips that power smartphones, robotics and data centers.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Associated Press.