EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The semiconductor is the heart and soul of any modern-day electronic device, and state officials want to make sure they are made in Michigan.
A historic investment in new training programs for the growing industry is offering a pathway to success for some of Lansing’s most underserved communities. This program will send more than $3.5 million in state funding to Lansing Community College and Michigan State University. They’re going to try and figure out how to train the next generation of workers to create some of the most complex machines in history.
“We want the world to know that there is none better than us, the state of Michigan when it comes to advanced manufacturing,” said Kerry Eberson Singh, executive vice president and chief talent solutions and engagement officer at Michigan Economic Development Corporation.
Manufacturers here know just how important these chips can be. The last time there was a major shortage, factories here in Lansing were full of cars waiting for parts to come in.
Since then, our state has started building factories to bring the supply chain closer to home and officials expect we will need 30,000 workers by the end of the decade to fill them up— and make sure there are enough chips to go around.
Thomas Schuelke, president of Fraunhofer USA and professor of electrical and computer engineering at MSU`s College of Engineering, said the training will be essential for current and future technology.
“Whether you talk automotive, whether you talk washing machines, whether you talk any advanced machine tools, anything that makes stuff has semiconductors in it, and Michigan is a manufacturing state,” Schuelke said.
The Michigan Economic Development Council has a plan to help make that happen, the grant announced today will create a fast, comprehensive, and fully accredited training program here in Lansing that will help offer a path to the careers of the future to some of our most under-served community members.
“This will prepare job seekers for employment as entry-level semiconductor technicians….The population served by this program will not only be job seekers but it will be the unemployed and underemployed job seekers in the greater Lansing area,” said Lee Gardner, director of the job training center at Lansing Community College:
Lansing Community College will offer the 10-day course on campus starting in March. They are offering it for free to remove any barriers a student might have. The College will be releasing more information on how you can sign up for this program as it gears up for a March start.
