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If your workplace and classrooms are anything like ours, few days go by without at least one conversation about chips, semiconductors, and artificial intelligence. With the recent Chips and Science Act and Oregon’s subsequent SB 4, there is a lot of investment and attention being paid to these important STEM fields.
In fact, Oregon has long been nicknamed the “Silicon Forest” for our state’s concentration of technology companies. Companies like Intel, Tektronix, HP, and more than 6,000 other high-tech businesses statewide have contributed to Oregon’s global reputation in this sector.
Adding to the conversation is the Higher Education Coordinating Commission’s recent study on the semiconductor workforce landscape that calls for significant changes focused on strengthening education pathways and diversifying the workforce to address the needs of this growing industry. The study identifies several strategies to advance a diverse semiconductor talent pool, including early student awareness of occupational opportunities, more STEM education, and greater access and support for students from historically underserved communities.
While students might know all about electronic devices they often don’t know how they operate or even that the industry exists. That’s where we come in! Read on to learn more about ways we’re working in collaboration with our partners across this ecosystem to support our future innovators and invest in their curiosity and potential.
Thanks and be well,
Sarah Whiteside,
Director
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