Are Intel and TSMC actually hiring MCCCD's 'quick start' grads? Why no one seems to know
No one wants to see a glitch in Arizona’s growing semiconductor production industry.
But without better cooperation from stakeholders in politics, education and the tech sector, a multibillion-dollar opportunity is going to short circuit rather than energize the state’s economy with solid jobs that don’t require a four-year degree.
A 10-day semiconductor boot camp offered across several campuses within the Maricopa County Community College District is being touted as a success by U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly, who told The Arizona Republic’s editorial board that “it’s great for working-class folks who are just trying to get by.”
Likewise, MCCCD Chancellor Stephen R. Gonzales hailed the program in a recent column for the Arizona Capitol Times, writing: “These positions being created in our community are not just jobs — they are middle-class careers that offer pathways to promotion and upward mobility. MCCCD plays a central role in building that workforce and opening up those opportunities to people here in Maricopa County and beyond.”
But we don’t know if that’s happening.
'Quick start' attracts a diverse crowd
There are no data available to show whether graduates of the Semiconductor Technician Quick Start Program are being hired.
The year-old boot camp offered at multiple campuses across the community college system has turned out 623 graduates among the 759 enrollees, according to MCCCD data.
But how many of these students actually get jobs?
It’s an essential question, especially for diversity advocates.
More than half of the semiconductor training program students were first-generation college students.
More than half self-identified as people of color. And two cohorts were made up entirely of women, Gonzales wrote in July.
How many were hired? We don't know
What if only the white males are being hired from the programs?
What if only a few, if any, are getting hired?
What if the people hired don’t stick?
What if the program is a wild success that needs immediate and widespread expansion?
We don’t have any way of knowing.
Boot camp was built for Intel, TSMC
The chancellor, in a phone interview with The Arizona Republic, acknowledged the importance of making sure the boot camp is meeting the needs of Intel Corp. and TSMC, two of the largest manufacturers in the world.
They have established themselves in the Phoenix area, saying they need workers to produce microchips that power much of modern life.
“This program was built primarily for those two big companies,” Gonzales said. “I would see them as most likely to hire graduates from this program. … Part of our effectiveness is to reach out to the organizations to make sure that these students are doing well.
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“That’s our biggest priority, to make sure that these students are equipped for success, while keeping the cost as low as possible.”
Aside from Gonzales reaching out directly to leaders at Intel and TSMC, state and federal lawmakers could help by requiring hiring data to be tracked. It’s a common practice in the community college’s nursing programs and required for accreditation.
Why we need better placement data
The importance of good, publicly available hiring data can’t be overstated: People need these career opportunities.
Kelly, for his part, has told the story of a Phoenix woman who “was unemployed and could not find a job for over a year.”
She took the boot camp at Estrella Mountain Community College and was later hired by Intel.
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“She works in the big fab making semiconductor chips,” he said. “That’s a story that going to be repeated thousands of times.”
Gonzales tells a similar story, writing: “I learned … of a single mom who didn’t see much hope. After completing our training program, she got a good-paying job with one of the manufacturers here in Phoenix.
“She told me, ‘For the first time in a long time, my kids are going to have a very different Christmas this year.’ ”
Is this semiconductor story being repeated?
It’s a wonderful success story that should be repeated.
But is it?
Are Kelly and Gonzales describing the same woman?
We can’t know without better cooperation from stakeholders in politics, education and the tech sector.
No one wants to see a glitch in this opportunity to supercharge the state’s economy.
Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @SayingMoore.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Are TSMC, Intel actually hiring MCCCD's 'quick start' grads?
