Austin Community College District (ACC) is working with national partners to launch a nationwide expansion of its Advanced Manufacturing Production (AMP) program. Leaders from Merit America and the America’s Frontier Fund (AFF) Foundation joined ACC Wednesday, November 20, at the ACC Highland Campus IMPACT Lab to make the announcement. 

The expansion offers ACC’s curriculum to low-wage workers nationally at no upfront cost. 

“We are about helping low wage folks stuck in low wage work, access new careers, folks who are traditionally boxed out of opportunities because they don’t have a bachelor’s degree,” says Connor Diemand-Yauman, co-founder and co-CEO ofMerit America. “Our efforts all start with identifying what are the skills that people need to access the jobs that are in highest and highest paying, which starts with looking at the leading content providers. We did a scan across the country asking who are the leading provider and time and time again, we’ve heard ACC. They have the best curriculum. They know the space. They know what it takes to succeed and thrive in the semiconductor space.”

“We spent a lot of time looking at technologies that are going to fly in the future. Things like semiconductors, new forms of energy manufacturing. When you look at all of these areas, the most important factor in success is skilled labor. Is there a good, talented workforce that is ready and willing to go work on these cool technologies? And as we looked around and said, who can we partner with to help us build that workforce? Austin Community College was broadly recognized as the best in the country,” says Jordan Blashek, president and co-founder of America’s Frontier Fund.

ACC’s AMP program is recognized as one of the nation’s best, receiving the exclusive Fundamental Semiconductor Knowledge Certification from the SEMI Foundation. The program was even lauded by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, who highlighted it as a model for equipping workers with the skills needed to fill the 109,000 semiconductor technician roles expected to go unfilled by 2030.

Why ACC’s AMP Program Stands Out:

  • Cutting-edge design: A unique blend of hands-on training (3 days a week) and flexible online coursework.
  • Proven outcomes: Designed to bridge the gap between education and employment, the program offers a direct path to high-paying careers in advanced manufacturing and technology.
  • National recognition: Acknowledged as a leader in workforce development and a key player in driving U.S. competitiveness.

“Expanding our program nationally not only means delivering on our mission of expanding educational access, but also the potential for ACC to profoundly impact economic mobility,” said Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart, Chancellor of ACC. “We’re proud to lead this charge alongside our partners, breaking down barriers to employment and setting a new standard for workforce development.”

“Austin Community College is a special jewel in our community. The key word there, of course, is community. Community College means a whole lot to what it is that we all want to see happen in Austin and Central Texas,” says Austin Mayor Kirk Watson. “If we do this right, if we address the chips act and what’s going on in this industry the right way, if we approach this opportunity the way we should approach this opportunity to, Austin and Central Texas will be the center of the universe.”

The Opportunity Coalition, led jointly by Merit America and the AFF Foundation, will enable ACC’s program to become accessible nationwide, starting with a pilot in Central Texas with support from the Texas Institute for Electronics (TIE), a University of Texas at Austin-supported semiconductor consortium, and the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation. The pilot aims to establish Central Texas as a national center of excellence for semiconductor workforce development and a model for other regions as the initiative expects to scale in key markets such as Ohio, Arizona, New Mexico, and New York. 

For more information about the ACC’s AMP training program and the Opportunity Coalition, please visit: https://meritamerica.org/opportunity-coalition/. 

For more information about ACC’s programs, visit austincc.edu/manufacturing.