The Chips Act passed in 2022 has led to a surge in funding for semiconductor

manufacturing in the US and a real demand for qualified workers. These chips

power everything from our phones and cars to advanced fighter jets and artificial

intelligence. Now some colleges and universities are trying to help fill those jobs and create

the workforce of the future.

Stephanie Sigh has the story for our series,

Rethinking College.

Before becoming a manufacturing technician

at Intel's campus in Chandler, Arizona,

Tarji Borders didn't even know what a semiconductor was.

I had no idea.

All I knew was chips.

Borders had a background in software development, but after a year of being unemployed, the single mom was looking for new opportunities.

I saw the advertisement, Fresh Start, Semi-Conductor program, specifically for women.

It was for a two-week crash course in becoming one of the technicians responsible for the machines

that make chips, a partnership between a local community college and a nonprofit Fresh Start

Women's Foundation.

And so in two weeks if you can go from unemployed, you know, trying to raise a family to, know employ it really is a life changer.

After the intensive training program she got a job at Intel on the night shift

allowing her to balance parenting and work.

Semiconductor texts make on average about $48,000 a year,

according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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