In response to a request from Intel®, Kent State University is leading a network that includes 13 partner higher education institutions throughout Northeast Ohio. They are poised to prepare the workforce to make components for the small electronic devices that play a large role in our everyday lives. The plan is part of the multinational technology company’s Ohio Semiconductor Education and Research Program.
According to Intel’s website, the company will invest $50 million directly in Ohio higher education institutions to address immediate semiconductor manufacturing challenges and workforce shortages. The US National Science Foundation will match an additional $50 million from Intel in national funding opportunities. Intel’s education financing is part of the company’s recent announcement that it would invest more than $20 billion to construct two leading-edge semiconductor chip factories in Ohio.
The College of Applied and Technical Studies is home to Kent State University’s associate degrees. As the university further develops its partnership with Intel, readying the workforce with a world-class education is key. In fact, 2,100 of the 3,000 jobs Intel brings to Ohio require the associate of applied science degree in electrical/electronic engineering technology currently offered at Kent State’s Trumbull and Tuscarawas campuses.
Graduates of this two-year program are in high demand and prepared for careers as engineering technicians in state-of-the-art technology, including alternative energy, drone technology, electric vehicle industry, engineering design, manufacturing and robotics.
Academic program leaders throughout Kent State and its partner institutions are united in meeting the educational needs of a diverse 21st-century workforce that is prepared for good-paying jobs that propel the future.
“We plan to scale existing educational opportunities, develop new experiential curricula and establish or refine pathways for learners seeking to enter, reskill or upskill in areas relevant to semiconductor fabrication,” says Peggy Shadduck, PhD, Kent State’s vice president for Regional Campuses and dean of the College of Applied and Technical Studies. She served as Kent State’s lead principal investigator on the grant titled Pathways to Semiconductor Careers.
“These strengths can be amplified through collaboration with our 13 partners to address the immediate and future workforce needs of Intel and its suppliers.”
—Deb Ellwood
Learn more about pathways to semiconductor careers.
Learn more about the two-year electrical/electronic engineering technology degree.