ASU-TSMC program propels semiconductor careers

By the time the first two cohorts of participants completed the ASU-TSMC Foundations for Equipment Technician Program in late July, many had full-time job offers.

The program creates a faster pathway into semiconductor careers through training aligned with the skills technicians use in advanced manufacturing environments. Those offers mark an early success for the short-term workforce training program Arizona State University developed and delivered in collaboration with TSMC Arizona to prepare participants for equipment technician roles in semiconductor manufacturing.

TSMC is a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, producing the advanced chips that power essential technologies across industries. Its presence in the U.S. supports critical infrastructure, including data centers, telecommunications, transportation, health care technology, defense systems and the electrical grid. TSMC Arizona relies on skilled equipment technicians to support that manufacturing work.

ASU’s inaugural cohort included participants from a variety of backgrounds, including high school graduates, career changers and job seekers. While their experiences differed, they shared a common goal: developing the technical skills needed to pursue opportunities in semiconductor manufacturing.

For Alyssa Schiele, who joined the first cohort hoping to step into a professional career, the program connected technical training with the work she plans to continue at TSMC.

“This program prepared me for working at TSMC Arizona,” Schiele says. “I got to see what I learned in class translate directly to the workforce.”

Hands-on training for equipment technician roles

ASU faculty members provided classroom and hands-on instruction in Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building 12, or ISTB 12, on the Polytechnic campus and the ASU Chandler Innovation Center. The program combines technical instruction with laboratory experiences that give participants opportunities to apply concepts, troubleshoot problems and gain experience with advanced semiconductor manufacturing systems.

Throughout the program, participants study core workplace and technical systems, including electronics, sensors, pneumatics, vacuum and gas delivery, control charts, mechatronics and safety practices like personal protective equipment, cleanroom gowning and standard operating procedures.

According to Morgan Schofield, a recent graduate of the program, the emphasis on hands-on learning helped turn a longtime interest in technology into preparation for a technical career.

Before enrolling, Schofield spent a little more than a year working on-site at TSMC Arizona as a firewatch lead for Safety Compliance Services. Before that role, he attended college, completed emergency medical technician training and worked in health care as a traveling certified nursing assistant, specializing in care for people with paraplegia and quadriplegia. 

Despite his health care background, Schofield has always been interested in technical work. He provided IT and hardware support while working in firewatch and had years of experience building and repairing computers and taking apart consoles, controllers and other electronics.

Joining the program offered a way to build on that experience through formal technical training and a pathway to return to TSMC in a technical role.

“Learning how to actually wire and complete electrical circuits was huge,” Schofield says. “The mechatronics course was awesome; we actually got to learn things that are used in the real world.”

Schiele and Schofield entered the program with different backgrounds and skill sets, but both built technical confidence through the training. Their experiences show how the program can help launch participants into the semiconductor manufacturing field, regardless of previous work experience.

Tyler Hayes, a recent manufacturing engineering graduate from the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks, part of the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, supported ASU faculty members during the program’s hands-on lab sessions.

“This was my first time working in a teaching capacity,” says Hayes. “I enjoyed seeing the metaphorical and physical light bulbs go off during my lab sessions with the participants. Seeing them go into troubleshooting mode, address the problem and gain an understanding in the end was what made it all worth it.”

Strengthening Arizona’s semiconductor workforce

Binil Starly, school director and professor in the School of Manufacturing Systems and Networks and program director for the equipment technician program, says the program demonstrates how universities can quickly adapt to industry demands while helping build a stronger advanced manufacturing workforce.

“The success of these first cohorts shows how quickly technical learning can translate into a career opportunity,” Starly says. “By combining industry-defined skills, hands-on training and direct employment pathways, we can prepare learners from diverse backgrounds for semiconductor manufacturing careers.” 

Following the first two cohorts, ASU plans to offer up to 12 additional cohorts per year through 2028. The 2026 pilot programs take place at ISTB 12, a new facility focused on advanced manufacturing on ASU’s Polytechnic campus and the ASU Chandler Innovation Center, with plans to expand training to additional locations in 2027.

The program arrives as TSMC continues investing in advanced manufacturing capacity in Arizona, increasing demand for skilled workers who can operate, troubleshoot and maintain sophisticated semiconductor manufacturing systems.

“Technicians play a vital role in fab operations and are essential to the precision and reliability required in advanced semiconductor manufacturing,” says Rose Castanares, President of TSMC Arizona. “Developing skilled, local talent is critical not only to our long-term growth, but also for strengthening America’s semiconductor ecosystem. We’re proud to partner with ASU to prepare this next generation of talent.”

The collaboration helps address that demand, but the skills participants gain are not limited to positions with one employer. Training in electronics, sensors, pneumatics, vacuum systems, mechatronics, safety and troubleshooting can prepare participants to pursue equipment technician and related roles throughout the Valley’s semiconductor industry.

“We built a custom program for TSMC Arizona, from green light to launch, in eight weeks. That’s the kind of speed and agility industry partners need,” says Grace O’Sullivan, vice president of TSMC Arizona Partnership Initiatives at ASU. “When a company has an urgent workforce gap, ASU can design, activate and deliver a targeted program that turns a need into a talent pipeline in a matter of weeks, not years.”

The participants’ experiences also show what those numbers represent: people with various backgrounds gaining practical skills and a pathway into a growing industry.

As additional cohorts begin training, the first participants leave with hands-on experience, professional certificates and technical skills they can carry into equipment technician and related roles across Arizona’s semiconductor industry.