Without the semiconductor, we wouldn’t have cellphones or computers or much of the electronic objects that we need to survive in today’s world.
Currently, the semiconductor workforce in the U.S. is mostly white and around 75% male. A third of the workforce is 55 or older — and aging out. That’s because the industry was more robust in the '90s. After that, many jobs moved overseas.
To make more semiconductor jobs in the U.S., the Biden Administration passed the CHIPS act in 2022 which poured more than $50 billion into the industry nationally.
Some of this money is going towards apprenticeship programs, where trainees get paid to learn. Because these opportunities are more accessible, they also help increase diversity.
Community colleges, like Foothill College here in the Bay Area, are hosting these programs. This is the second year it's operating.
There is a free professional development seminar on September 24 to help Bay Area students learn about the career opportunities in this industry.
