Community colleges rush to expand semiconductor training as labor shortage looms US chip industry

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — For three years, Ethan Mock worked part-time at a gym to make ends meet while taking on more than $100,000 in debt to pursue a degree in business administration. Earlier this year — his fifth and final at Northern Arizona University — he began looking beyond his major for a stable career.So in July, when he learned over the radio about a tuition-free, three-month semiconductor crash course at Rio Salado College, he signed up immediately, despite having no background in the field. The draw: the community college's new program offered students a chance to interview with major chipmakers in Arizona.Two months later, clad in protective gear inside a lab, Mock was operating advanced machinery used to turn thin slices of silicon into semiconductor chips that power smartphones, robotics and data centers.“I do want to be in a booming industry,” said Mock, 23. “It was very exciting to get right into the meat and bones of the semiconductor manufacturing, which is really cool.