Rancho Cordova Brings Education and Industry Leaders Together to Shape Future AI Workforce

Yesterday the City of Rancho Cordova, Human Machine Collaboration Institute, Solidigm, Sacramento State, Folsom Lake College, Folsom Cordova Unified School District, SMUD, and FarmGPU came together to sign an agreement advancing K-to-Career, a workforce-focused effort within the Rancho Cordova AI & Robotics Ecosystem. The effort builds on the broader ecosystem launched by the city, HMCI and NVIDIA, and focuses on bringing education and industry together to better connect learning, training and real workforce needs in AI, robotics and semiconductor industries.

The signing event, hosted at Solidigm's Rancho Cordova headquarters, brought together education, industry and civic leaders to explore how local and regional education pathways can better prepare students and residents for the future of work in AI, robotics and semiconductor industries.

"Rancho Cordova is proud to bring together partners who are thinking seriously about the future of work and the opportunities we want our students and residents to be ready for," said Rancho Cordova City Manager Micah Runner. "This effort is about connecting education and industry early, so future training can be shaped around real workforce needs and help open doors to meaningful careers in our region."

K-to-Career builds on Rancho Cordova's broader AI & Robotics Ecosystem, launched through a previous agreement between the city, HMCI and NVIDIA. Through this next step, education and industry partners will explore how existing programs, future training opportunities and resources such as the NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute can better support students and residents preparing for emerging careers.

"There is a gap between where students are and where AI and semiconductor jobs are. It is not a talent gap. It is a pathway gap. AI does not build itself, it takes people, talent, and the right tools, and it takes a region willing to invest in all three. That is exactly what we are building in Rancho Cordova: a regional AI workforce hub where the pipeline starts in the classroom and ends in a career," said Sadie St. Lawrence, Founder of the Human Machine Collaboration Institute.

The agreement represents an important first step in bringing education and industry partners together around shared workforce goals. This effort begins the work of exploring what a regional AI and semiconductor workforce pathway could look like, anchored in Rancho Cordova.

"We're pleased to be part of this initiative to help fuel the next generation of AI-educated technical and business innovators right here in our home region," said Greg Matson, SVP, Head of Products and Marketing, Solidigm.

"This is exactly the kind of collaboration that defines what a university like ours does. We prepare students to create a better life through alignment with industry partners, ensuring they graduate with gainful employment. We're glad to be in partnership with all the amazing people around this table and looking forward to being a core part of what will continue to transform this region."- President J Luke Wood.

The event featured a "Signing Day" theme inspired by high school athletics, symbolizing a shared commitment to future workforce development and stronger connections between education, training and careers in AI, robotics and advanced technology industries.