Chemeketa Community College has been named as one of the four core academic partners in a statewide semiconductor initiative, which could see up to $160 million in federal funding over the next decade. The funding will boost workforce development in the semiconductor industry, with the goal of delivering 4,000 graduates into the industry each year.

Training and Education

Larry Cheyne, Chemeketa’s Dean of Applied Technologies, said the funding will be used to remodel a space on campus into a hacker cleanroom, which will allow for semiconductor fabrication for teaching and training purposes on a smaller scale than professional, industrial cleanrooms. The room will have multiple uses, including training sessions for enrolled students, experiential camps for high school students, workshops for the public, and educator training.

Chemeketa plans to use the funding to expand outreach and recruitment at local schools, including developing outreach and recruitment for local high schools and onboarding students, even as far back as middle school, into the kinds of classes they would want to take in high school and college.

Partners and Funding

The National Science Foundation awarded the overall initiative, known as Frontiers of Advanced Semiconductor Technology, with an initial $15 million grant for the first two years, which will be divided up between the initiative’s partners. The full $160 million is contingent on demonstrating progress.

U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, D-Oregon, whose district covers Salem, praised the grant, saying it will support the talents of the Oregon workforce by providing training and jobs throughout the high-tech innovation economy.

Original reporting: Salem Reporter — read the source article.