On September 26, 2024, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and American Federation of Teachers’ (AFT) President Randi Weingarten joined Micron and AFT’s affiliates in Syracuse. Secretary Raimondo highlighted the implementation of AFT’s Advanced Technology Framework to prepare students for new technical careers in the semiconductor industry. This initiative is supported by new funding from the President’s Investing in America agenda to expand deployment and support the Upstate New York Workforce Hub.

The framework focuses on foundational and technical skills relevant to microelectronics manufacturing. It includes curricular frameworks, teacher training, and work-based learning opportunities across ten New York school districts. Developed by teachers and Micron, it aims to integrate industry-based career exploration and engage students in deeper learning.

Secretary Raimondo emphasized that this framework would benefit not only Micron but also the entire Investing in America Upstate New York Workforce Hub. The vision is to quickly move from pilot to expansion, allowing other communities to scale this program starting with high school students.

On September 25, 2024, Natcast announced a $1.7 million award from President Biden’s CHIPS and Science Act to the AFT Educational Foundation. This funding will help expand the Advanced Technology Framework across New York, Michigan, and Minnesota as part of the NSTC Workforce Partner Alliance Program.

The Upstate New York Workforce Hub began this summer with a meeting at SUNY Oswego’s Syracuse campus. Convened by the U.S. Department of Commerce and Empire State Development (ESD), stakeholders discussed workforce needs associated with planned investments in the region.

The Biden-Harris Administration is focused on creating training pipelines for good-paying jobs created by the President’s Investing in America agenda. Nine Investing in America Workforce Hubs have been launched nationwide to facilitate partnerships among unions, local governments, employers, training providers, schools, community colleges, and other stakeholders.

First Lady Jill Biden announced five Workforce Hubs last year—Columbus, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Augusta, and Phoenix—which led to actions expanding pre-apprenticeships and Registered Apprenticeships. Building on that success, President Biden announced four new Workforce Hubs this year—upstate New York, Michigan, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia.

Upstate New York has become a growing hub for semiconductor manufacturing with significant investments throughout the region. The Administration has announced over $28.2 billion in federal investments across New York state in clean energy, infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors which have catalyzed an additional $90.2 billion in private-sector investments.

The Upstate New York Workforce Hub aims to maximize these federal investments by driving commitments to equitable workforce development through coordinated actions from state, local governments and private sectors while addressing gaps in the local workforce ecosystem.

Moving forward, further efforts are expected from the Upstate New York Workforce Hub to meet training needs for the semiconductor industry through collaborations with labor unions, employers as well as education and training providers.