High-tech training offered for veterans, others
AUSTIN — Temple College in Taylor is getting a $9.8 million grant from the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund to create a new Central Texas Chips Hub, Gov. Greg Abbott announced.
This is the second TSIF grant to a Texas higher education institution.
“By establishing the Central Texas Chips Hub in Taylor, Temple College will expand skills training opportunities and create a continuous talent pipeline to meet employer demands in our leading semiconductor manufacturing industry,” Abbott said in a prepared release. “Together with our highereducation partners, we will connect more Texans to better jobs and bigger paycheck opportunities that we provide in Texas.”
Officials note Samsung Austin Semiconductor’s multibillion-dollar foundry in southwest Taylor is expected to be operational next year, and the area is attracting other high-tech industries including data centers.
Temple College and its university partner Texas A&M University_Central Texas in Killeen are building the Central Texas Chips Hub to connect more Texans to the training needed for careers in semiconductor manufacturing, officials said. The hub will offer programs for veterans and others.
Students in the program may earn industry-recognized credentials, short-term certifications, an associate degree and an on-site applied bachelor’s degree with a focus on manufacturing and semiconductor technology, according to a news release.
DeDe Griffith, vice president of workforce development at Temple College, said the grant helps open many doors.
“The hub will also serve as a testbed for research,” she said. “The complete training system and the new degree pathways will be available at Temple College’s main campus in Temple and at the Temple College campus in Taylor, just a few miles from Samsung.”
The training program is open to high school students in dual-credit or Early College High School courses to adults who want to explore highdemand career opportunities, according to the release.
“We are grateful to the Governor’s Office and the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Consortium Executive Committee for their investment in Temple College’s Central Texas Chips Hub in partnership with TAMUCT,” said Christy Ponce, Temple College president. “The program will equip students and professionals with the essential skills needed to thrive in one of the fastest-growing sectors in the nation.”
Sen. Charles Schwertner, R–Georgetown, believes the Chips Hub will be beneficial not only to Williamson County, but the entire state.
“Central Texas is quickly becoming one of the most important semiconductor corridors in the nation, securing both our economic future and national security,” Schwertner said. “Supporting the Chips Hub at Temple College ensures Texans, not overseas competitors, will power the next generation of technological innovation.”
State Rep. Caroline Harris Davila, R–Round Rock, echoed Schwertner’s sentiments.
“This $9.8 million grant will help Temple College and Texas A&M University_ Central Texas move the Central Texas Chips Hub from a vision to a reality. It’s a major win for our students across Williamson County, and it strengthens the semiconductor industry that is driving so much of Texas’ economic future,” she said in a statement released by the Governor’s Office. “I look forward to the new jobs and opportunities it will create throughout our communities.”
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We will connect more Texans to better jobs and bigger paycheck opportunities.”
— Gov. Greg Abbott
