UCLA - University of California - Los Angeles
06/04/2026 | News release | Distributed by Public on 06/04/2026 11:49
UCLA joins semiconductor workforce consortium to expand hands-on microelectronics training
UCLA is joining a major new regional initiative to strengthen the semiconductor and microelectronics workforce pipeline across the Southwest.
The Arizona Commerce Authority, in partnership with the National Network for Microelectronics Education (NNME), SEMI Foundation, and the National Science Foundation, recently announced the designation of NNME Southwest as an official NNME Regional Node - one of the nation's anchor hubs for semiconductor workforce development. The regional node at UCLA will be co-led by the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA.
The new five-state consortium brings together 47 partners across Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Southern California to expand industry-aligned education, hands-on training and career pathways in semiconductor manufacturing and microelectronics.
As part of the Southern California network within NNME Southwest, UCLA will help coordinate industry-aligned curriculum and hands-on laboratory training for community college students and continuing education learners preparing for careers in semiconductor manufacturing. The effort will be led by C.K. Ken Yang, the Tatsuo Itoh Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA Samueli.
"UCLA is looking forward to contributing to NNME Southwest and coordinating the hands-on training of semiconductor manufacturing for industry readiness to community college students across the Southern California region," said Yang, a core faculty member of the newly launched, industry-backed Semiconductor Hub at UCLA Samueli.
Building on UCLA's existing workforce development initiatives, the university will expand its semiconductor manufacturing training modules through the UCLA Nanofabrication Laboratory and CNSI.
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