Washtenaw Community College joins Michigan’s push to make state a leader in the semiconductor industry
At a recent press conference, Washtenaw Community College President Dr. Rose B. Bellanca joined state government, education, and business leaders to announce Michigan’s plan to become a power player in the world’s semiconductor industry.
Lt. Governor Garlin Gilchrist II and Washtenaw Community College President Dr. Rose B. Bellanca got together recently to announce that Michigan is launching its largest-ever campaign to attract new businesses, recruit talent, and promote careers in the state’s growing semiconductor industry.
At the announcement press conference, Gilchrist outlined the state’s plan to become a superior player in the semiconductor industry on a global scale.
Dr. Bellanca and her fellow higher education leaders, along with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (or MEDC) and local business executives, talked about how each of their organizations can play a part in advancing Michigan’s semiconductor industry.
For instance, Washtenaw Community College plans to start a new short-term semiconductor technician training program within the next academic year which will train workers for jobs within the automotive and electrification industries.
In an article posted on Washtenaw Community College’s website, Dr. Bellanca was quoted on the school’s role in the community, saying, “One of the most important jobs we have as a community college is to quickly train the current and future workforce and serve as an economic driver for our region, state, and even nationally. We do this by listening to industry to understand their needs and then partnering with them to customize programs.”
The school recently announced the new training program along with MEDC, the University of Michigan, General Motors, imec, and KLA as founding partners in the Michigan STAR program.
Talking to reporters, Dr. Bellanca said, “It will make a positive difference -- not just in the lives of students who will be ready to step into high wage critical jobs, but it will also benefit the companies and will drive economic growth. It’s a win no matter how you look at it, and we are proud to help fuel this new talent pipeline.”
Gilchrist stated that Michigan is the epicenter for mobility innovation and the home of “the No. 1 emerging startup ecosystem,” while also growing more quickly than any other clean energy sector in America.
“Michigan demonstrates our global leadership as a hub for advanced manufacturing and innovation, especially in the semiconductor industry. Let’s keep working together to bring advanced manufacturing and critical supply chains home as we create economic opportunity in every region and build a brighter future for Michigan,” said Gilchrist.
In addition to Gilchrist and Dr. Bellanca were KLA Global ESG Leader and Ann Arbor Site Lead John McLaughlin; Bay City-based SK Siltron CSS CEO Jianwei Dong; Lansing Community College President Steve Robinson; Delta College President Michael Gavin; Michigan Technological University PResident Richard J, Koubek; Wayne State University Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Mark Lawrence Kornbluh; Michigan State University Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff; University of Michigan President Santa J. Ono, and MEDC Executive Vice President and Chief Talent Solutions and Engagement Officer Kerry Ebersole Singh.
Ebersole Singh noted Michigan’s status in the industry, saying, “Michigan is leading the nation with an ‘all-hands-on-deck’ consortium that has successfully identified key skills and competencies most needed by employers to drive future microchip industry development. That’s not just the Gov. Whitmer administration or the MEDC saying that.That’s what we’re hearing from leaders of the semiconductor industry who are amazed and impressed by what Michigan is doing right now.”
The MEDC also recently announced a new Semiconductor Talent Action Team (or TAT) which will function as a collaborative public/private partnership that will work to make Michigan one of the top states in the country for semiconductor growth and talent solutions. The TAT will work to continue Michigan’s push to bring in critical semiconductor supply chains to the state, and in some cases even back to the state. These supply chains will create high paying jobs, and reduce shortages and delays for consumers. As Michigan looks to support the development and research of manufacturing facilities, there will be an increase in the supply of technicians and engineers that will be needed to make the industry successful in the state.
A consortium has already been successfully built by Michigan’s Semiconductor TAT that has partnered with seven of the state’s higher education partners, 15 semiconductor employers, and two associations within the industry. All of these partners will collaborate with the state to focus on five different high demand and priority semiconductor roles: maintenance and repair workers, semiconductor processing technicians, industrial/process engineers, electrical engineers, and computer engineers.
Michigan is one of the first states in the country with such a consortium that has worked to identify key competencies and skills that are needed by employers to drive the future of the microchip industry.
MEDC TAT officials have noted that more two-year and four-year degree institutions in the state are invited to join the consortium, including and especially community colleges, which are considered crucial to staffing the microelectronics workforce in Michigan.
To support the effort to bring more higher education institutions into the consortium, a grant program has been set up to which prospective higher education consortium members can apply for up to $3 million in grants, which can be used to: develop semiconductor education curriculum and flexible training models to jumpstart career paths the the above mentioned in demand job roles, expand and launch new pre-K-12 semiconductor awareness and engagement efforts like skills boot camps, and create a new Michigander Semiconductor Scholarship incentive program that will operate similarly to the state’s EV/mobility student campaign.
More information about Washtenaw Community College’s semiconductor programs, and all of the school’s offerings, can be found at the institution’s website.