More benefits are coming to Austin Community College District (ACC) students. U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett announced $1.5 million he secured directly in congressional funding for semiconductor training Thursday, August 29, at the Highland Campus in the NXP Advanced Manufacturing Lab.
“The new landscape of higher education is going to take anyone, at any stage in their career or education development, whether they have a GED or need one, or they have a master’s degree in philosophy. Everyone’s going to need access to new skills to apply in whatever field they’re in or to be in the foundation of creating those experiences,” says ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart. “The power of educators that we have leading in our semiconductor training is that when you talk about AI or chips, it feels intimidating. No one knows what that means. When you bring funding to a space like this and ACC, it makes sense. You learn with your hands and realize I can do that. That’s the power of creating this learning environment.”
The federal funds allow ACC’s Advanced Manufacturing Department to acquire semiconductor subsystems to expand current training programs and develop new ones aligned with industry demands. This new equipment will provide hands-on learning in a setting that replicates industry conditions. Funding will also support necessary facility upgrades.
“This does indicate the investment in workforce and in the NXP Manufacturing Lab at ACC. NXP is one of the partners that will be contributing expensive and complex equipment for students. The idea is (to) incentivize the public and private partnership — that is essential,” says Doggett. “This funding will help ACC reflect the capabilities of modern semiconductor processes and meet the industry and workforce needs. We are building capacity that is vital to national security. It will put food on the table for Central Texas families and provide the opportunity for one family after another here because of getting a great ACC education.”
According to national data, the industry is expected to grow by 115,000 jobs by 2030. However, almost 60% of these jobs may go unfilled at current degree completion rates. Of the unfilled jobs, 39% will be technicians with certificates or two-year degrees and 35% will be engineers or computer scientists with four-year degrees.
“Choosing ACC is giving me the opportunity to do more in the field. Having a degree gives a lot of opportunity to open many doors to many places,” says Julio Gutierrez, ACC Bachelor of Applied Technology in Manufacturing Engineering Technology Student. “Currently, I’m looking for a technical position. Semiconductors are a very skilled trade. There’s a lot to go through and there (are) a lot of computers, troubleshooting, and wiring. It’s very technical. I am learning all of that in my program and using it in my job at NXP.”
For more information on ACC’s Advanced Manufacturing programs, visit austincc.edu/manufacturing.