back to article Intel aims to patch semiconductor skills gap with one-year cert program

Intel and community colleges in Ohio are introducing a one-year "stackable, shareable and transferrable" semiconductor certificate program to address the skills crunch looming on the horizon. This follows research by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) published in July, which found the workforce across the US sector …

  1. Mike 137 Silver badge

    Focus?

    "The technical skills include hand tool basics; mechanical systems; math; electrical basics and electronics; chemical and gases. Professional skills will include knowledge of semiconductors (defects, contamination, safety, lean manufacturing); technical and professional comms skills; and problem solving."

    The syllabus sounds reasonable if ambitious for a one year programme, but the acid test will be what the 'qualified' folks are actually able to do once qualified. I have in the past taught on UK City & Guilds courses in electronics technicianship and digital tech, and I was not at all impressed by the low level of understanding or practical capability expected of students at test time. More recently (2016), I looked at software development training in the US, and found much the same low expectations of performance, coupled with inflated expectations of status. One federally granted training offering in web development lasting 13 weeks advertised that it could lead to "jobs as mid-level software engineers". Skills are only genuine of they equip the notionally 'skilled' to deliver to the requisite high standards.

  2. Ace2 Silver badge

    Who’d have thought that decades of corporate raiding and offshoring would have lead to this. Totally unforeseeable, I guess.

  3. elsergiovolador Silver badge

    Capture

    What's the point if these skills could only be used at working with handful of companies?

    It's not like you can learn this stuff and then make semiconductors in your shed.

    If worker is going to invest several years of their life into - let's face it - dead end career, then what is the incentive?

    There is nothing about pay, so I guess there is nothing to write home about in that front.

    So what else? Sense of fulfilment? Pizza Fridays?

    If the people at the top think of workers as commodity, cattle, then good luck.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Capture

      "If worker is going to invest several years of their life into - let's face it - dead end career, then what is the incentive?"

      [Looks at above comment]

      [Checks last pay check]

      LOL

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