Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

PCC is the epicenter for training Oregon’s advanced manufacturing workforce

Photos and Story by James Hill

Madelyn Porter, a sophomore at Forest Grove High School, represents the sign of the times in the semiconductor world.

Porter is taking a series of her school’s mechatronics classes, which are designed in collaboration with industry partners and Portland Community College. Aimed at equipping students with foundational hands-on skills, the classes serve as a stepping stone for both aspiring semiconductor equipment technicians, process technicians and beyond.

“The first couple of weeks were hard,” she admitted. “There was a lot of programming and wiring, but I was so glad I stuck around. I really like this class. It’s super satisfying when you build something and see your project work out.”

The semiconductor industry needs her and, with the help of PCC, is actively recruiting women and underrepresented students to bridge the workforce gap. The Higher Education Coordinating Commission recently released the state’s first Semiconductor Workforce and Talent Assessment and recommended Oregon strengthen education pathways and diversify the workforce in order to address the talent needs. The assessment comes as the sector prepares for $40 billion in capital investment from the federal CHIPS and Science Act and in Oregon’s own CHIPS Act passed last year.

PCC has built a healthy semiconductor pathway to address the worker shortage. At the Willow Creek Opportunity Center in Hillsboro, the mechatronics lab is the focal point for students in PCC’s Microelectronics Technology and Quick Start programs. The Microelectronics Technology and the Electronic Engineering Technology programs, located at the Rock Creek and Sylvania campuses respectively, offer options to learn the principles of advanced manufacturing and provide pathways to living wage jobs.

The college also has a one-year certificate in mechatronics at the Rock Creek and Willow Creek locations, as well as two non-credit training certificates at the Oregon Manufacturing Innovation Center (OMIC) Training Center in Columbia County. These certificates provide students with hands-on experiences to troubleshoot and solve electrical problems applicable to any manufacturing environment.

In addition to the training, PCC has a myriad of support on-ramp courses that serve a wide spectrum of ages and populations. These include the Semiconductor Essentials Training for 17- to 24-year-olds interested in semiconductors; the Discover Manufacturing course, where staff help students explore careers and training options; and the much-heralded Quick Start Program – a partnership with Intel and others – that introduces people to the world of semiconductors.

“We have a long history of training the workforce for semiconductor and advanced manufacturing careers,” said PCC President Dr. Adrien Bennings. “Our academic pathways alone offer multiple avenues to not just degrees but short-term certificates. All of these lead to living wage jobs, which is so critical in positioning our citizens to not only thrive but to have economic mobility.”

And PCC’s efforts are getting noticed. The college has welcomed two members of U.S. President Joe Biden’s Cabinet – U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Labor Secretary Julie Su – to the Willow Creek lab to tour the Quick Start class and microelectronics training as examples of best practices.

“What you are doing with young people here is needed,” said Secretary Su.

Secretary Raimondo added, “From first generation college students to people charting new paths later in their careers, it was inspiring to meet Portland Community College students and learn how they’re being equipped for the semiconductor jobs of the future.”

Porter, 15, is part of that next generation. She got into mechatronics at Forest Grove to earn dual credit through PCC because she always enjoyed computer programming and robotics. Her future goals entail enrolling at Oregon State University to learn software engineering and eventually work for a company like Intel.

“I tell classmates to please join the mechatronics classes, especially girls,” she said. “We need more women in mechatronics. First couple of weeks people just quit, but they need to realize they need to stay on because it will work out. It did for me.”