Sustainability and Workforce Topics Dominate Day 2 of SEMICON West 

Estimated reading time: 8 minutes

Moving from the intense world of quantum computing, the afternoon again brought us around to our industry’s shared initiative around workforce development and several presentations that highlighted the impending labor crisis for electronics manufacturing. SEMI Foundation’s Shari Liss, head of Global Workforce Development and Initiatives, moderated the next sessions. She educated the audience on the American Semiconductor Academy, whose pillars are:

• Inspire early
• Attract and motivate
• Pathways to professional careers
• Continuous learning

Next, Sandra Mahadwar, SVP of talent management and chief inclusion and diversity officer at KLA, was the focus of a fireside chat, discussing why inclusion and belonging are everyone’s concerns. I learned that the updated acronym in this professional area is DEIB–Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging, the latter of which was new to me. Just 10 years ago, she said, DEI was not even in the top 20 concerns for tech businesses, so we have made progress. She rightly pointed out that diversity looks different in different countries and cultures, but inclusivity is universal, “Everyone is needed to build a culture.”  She also discussed the “bias of the highly educated” within the semiconductor industry, and that the focus needs to shift to skill sets rather than the degree a person has. “I don’t believe it (DEIB) is everyone’s concern,” she said in closing. “I believe it is everyone’s job.” 

Gabriella Cruz, director of university research and academic collaboration at Intel, talked about the company’s collaborations with more than 400 universities in 38 countries, and highlighted the Intel Foundation’s focus on K-12 education. Its pillars are: attract, develop and retain. She also described Intel’s two-week “Quick Start” program in Arizona and Oregon, which exposes young students and workers to manufacturing and hopefully spurs them on to get either a two- or four-year degree, something that has been particularly successful in attracting women and minorities, a demographic they said needs more exposure. She discussed Intel’s Ohio program to work with local universities in training a workforce for their Ohio greenfield site. 

Scott Gatzemeier, corporate vice president of U.S. expansion for Micron Technology, discussed empowering the next generation of workers and called this time the “semiconductor renaissance,” using phrases such as “K Through Career” and pulling people up through the talent pipeline. Using Micron as an example, he cited that for the 11,000 current open job positions collectively between Idaho and New York, they will need to reach out to 300,000 potential applicants and receive 180,000 applications to get them filled; this is no a small feat. In addition to doubling down on STEM and K-12 education, Micron Technology believes in investing in community ecosystems that will support the employment of groups like women and veterans. Like Intel, Micron Technology works with 29 universities, 15 of which are minority-serving. 

Larry Smith, former chair of TEL U.S. and inaugural Executive Committee member of Texas Instruments Tokyo Electron, ended our day with passion and purpose. Now, in his “retirement” career, he talked of pivoting with purpose and spoke of his experience in the military and his passion for helping veterans successfully join the civilian workforce in electronics and manufacturing despite the myriad unique challenges they face returning to civilian life. He outlined several programs in which companies should become involved if serious about tapping this tremendous talent resource, including TAPS (Transition Assistance Program), PAYS (Partnership for Your Success), and SkillBridge. He emphasized the importance of becoming recognized as a genuinely veteran-friendly company. 

With day two at SEMICON wrapped up, I headed out to dinner and drinks with friends in a nearby neighborhood. The sun was out, and the weather was temperate. I found myself feeling grateful to have witnessed so many smart people doing such important work, and the electronics industry’s immense ability to positively affect the quality of all our lives.

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