What you need to know
The grant money comes from the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund, a state program launched in 2023 to promote economic and workforce development in semiconductor research, design and manufacturing. Texas lawmakers allocated about $948 million for the TSIF during the 2023 and 2025 legislative sessions, according to the governor’s office, which administers the program.
TSTC will use the $3.5 million grant to develop the Accelerated Semiconductor Technician Training Program, Gov. Greg Abbott announced Jan. 8. The college will use existing instructional and lab facilities for the new program.
The 10-week program will train students for careers in semiconductor fabrication, including roles as equipment technicians, process technicians and gas control system specialists, according to a news release. The program is designed to replicate a real semiconductor lab with a wafer-processing learning facility and a mock cleanroom, per Abbott’s office.
“This investment will equip students with the advanced skills needed for a modern, high-tech workforce, create quality jobs for Texans, and support the semiconductor operations and chip production that drive our economy and are vital to our national security,” Rep. Caroline Harris Davila, R-Round Rock, said in the release.
The background
TSTC began expanding its East Williamson County campus in February, Community Impact previously reported. The 70,000-square foot expansion project is set to open by spring 2027 and will feature the college’s advanced manufacturing-semiconductor technology, industrial systems and precision machining technology programs.
The campus is part of a multi-institutional teaching center called the East Williamson County Higher Education Center, according to the college’s website. Temple College and Texas A&M University-Central Texas also offer courses at the 112,000-square-foot center.
TSTC expanded its industrial systems program offerings in the fall, Community Impact reported.
More context
TSIF funds have been awarded to semiconductor initiatives statewide, including several others in Central Texas. Samsung recently won $250 million for its semiconductor manufacturing plant in Taylor, while Yerico Manufacturing received $1.3 million to expand its Elgin facility. In nearby Round Rock, $3.6 million was awarded to Austin Community College and $2 million went to KoMiCo Technologies, a South Korean company.
Regional demand for workers trained in chipmaking has grown in recent years, with the relocation and expansion of companies like Samsung, Apple and Tesla’s Gigafactory.
“With this TSIF grant, TSTC will transform existing instructional and lab space into a training facility focused on semiconductor and electromechanical workforce development,” Abbott said in the Jan. 8 release. “Working together with our higher education partners, we will ensure the technologies that power the future are made in Texas.”
