I have been working in education in Arizona for my entire career. I started as a high school math teacher, and in the years since, I have risen to become the chancellor of the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD) – one of the largest community college systems in the nation.
As a classroom teacher, I was instructing nearly 130 students a semester. In my role as chancellor, I’m now making decisions for more than 140,000 students each year. It’s a big responsibility, and each day I’m motivated knowing that our colleges play a critical role in providing access to an affordable, high-quality education.
All 10 Maricopa Community Colleges train students with specific skills helping them enter the workforce as quickly as possible. This undertaking is particularly important given that Arizona has two of the three largest semiconductor manufacturers in the world: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Intel Corporation. Through the CHIPS and Science Act that the Biden administration passed last year with bipartisan support, billions of dollars have been invested into America’s semiconductor supply chain and training programs, spurring dozens of multi-billion-dollar projects that are creating high-paying jobs in states like Arizona.
This legislation opened a tremendous opportunity for our community. Since these federal investments in semiconductor production passed, TSMC and Intel have announced a combined total of nearly $50 billion in new investments here in Arizona, enabling the construction of multiple new, expansive manufacturing hubs. To help them meet the huge increase in demand for workers, these companies have turned to MCCCD as a trusted partner. We are currently working to train 4,000 to 6,000 semiconductor technicians from the local workforce over the next few years. We also have plans to offer more advanced training programs that will allow local technicians to further develop their skills and advance in their careers.
These positions being created in our community are not just jobs – they are middle-class careers that offer pathways to promotion and upward mobility. MCCCD plays a central role in building that workforce and opening up those opportunities to people here in Maricopa County and beyond.
In this effort, one of the biggest priorities for MCCCD and local manufacturers has been providing accessible, affordable training opportunities and expanding these opportunities to a diverse workforce. In fact, in the 2022-2023 year, 53% of our semiconductor training program students were first-generation college students, and a majority identified as students of color. Two cohorts that have come through have been all women. We’re proud to say that we are building a workforce that increasingly represents the diversity of our state.
What does all of this translate to? A growing economy for all Arizonans. We’re helping residents of the Grand Canyon State to build the skills they need, and that will enable us to have the strongest possible economy in Maricopa County.
On a personal level, I’ve seen firsthand how these investments – and our training programs – are changing lives. I learned the story of a single mom who didn’t see much hope. After completing our training program, she got a good-paying job with one of the manufacturers here in Phoenix. She told me, “For the first time in a long time, my kids are going to have a very different Christmas this year.”
That’s what these new career opportunities mean for so many people in Maricopa County. We get folks trained and ready to work quickly – not just for semiconductor work but in countless other fields. That has a very positive effect on the community and a very positive impact on the economic well-being of our people. We are working to help our students expand their career options, and federal investments are helping us do that.
When I talked with Pat Gelsinger, the CEO of Intel, at their latest groundbreaking here in Arizona, I learned he is a community college graduate. After graduating from a technical college, he got a job as a technician at Intel, eventually rising through the ranks to lead the entire company. As these new federal and private investments fuel demand for the next generation of technicians here in Arizona, I am inspired by the possibility that one of our students may follow the same path and become the next CEO of one of the largest companies in the world.
Steven R. Gonzales is chancellor of the Maricopa County Community College District.
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Tags: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Intel, local manufacturers, CHIPS and Science Act, community colleges, Biden, Maricopa County Community College District, first-generation college students, classroom teacher, chancellor, TSMC, Arizonans, Maricopa County, semiconductor training program, affordable training opportunities, MCCCD
