PHOENIX — Advancing Arizona by growing talent in technology; is part of a new push to bolster the microchip manufacturing workforce as big tech investment floods into the state. A new apprenticeship program is training the next generation of technicians, and state leaders say semiconductor production will change Arizona’s economy.
Working alongside a mentor and learning a trade; it’s a golden opportunity for eight apprentices at TSMC, the company behind a new multibillion-dollar plant in north Phoenix.
“I wanted to develop more skills. I thought it was a perfect opportunity,” Ray Barrera, a TSMC apprentice from Phoenix, said.
Ray Barrera and Alejandro Munoz are two apprentices in the first-of-its-kind program in Arizona, training as technicians in semiconductor production.
“We, they produce the chips in everything; your phones, cars, and a lot of electronic devices” Alejandro Munoz, a TSMC apprentice from Phoenix, said. “Without the chips, we wouldn't have a lot of the technology that we have today.”
Do you have a concern in your community or a news tip? We want to hear from you!
Connect with us: share@abc15.com
The pilot program is getting funding from the city of Phoenix and the federal government. TSMC also invested $5 million to cover part of the apprentice salaries and tuition support. It gives the cohort an “earn as you learn” model, letting them study while also taking home paychecks.
The goal is to bolster a talented workforce as TSMC builds three new factories. When those fabs, or factories, all come online by the end of the decade the company will need to bring on an additional 4,000 employees, employing a total of around 6,000 workers, according to a company spokesperson.
While the first cohort of the apprenticeship program right now has eight apprentices, by 2025 it's expected to have hundreds.
“You're talking about thousands and thousands of jobs that these types of investments bring to the state of Arizona,” Carlos Contreras, Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity Director, said.
As part of Governor Katie Hobbs’ Talent Ready AZ Initiative, the state is also looking to pull talent from Arizona’s Latino communities onto the apprenticeship path.
“Latinos are a big portion of the population, especially the younger workforce,” Contreras said. “So these types of programs are really key to make sure that you reach that population.”
Talent like Barrera and Munoz, who now plan to grow their own careers within this expanding industry.
“Ever since I got into the semiconductor industry, it's something that I really like,” Munoz said. “I don't see myself going anywhere else.”
It takes a huge amount of water to make microchips, as ABC15 has reported, and that raises concerns with some as the Valley grapples with drought.
TSMC tells ABC15 at startup, 64% of the water used in its Arizona operation will come from in-house recycling systems. Their end goal is to reach a point where their factories will be capable of reusing nearly every drop of water back in the facility.
