The Far Eastern University Campus in Manila on March 06, 2020.

The Far Eastern University Campus in Manila on March 06, 2020. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Jekki Pascual

ABS-CBN News

<p>MANILA -- Over 6,000 Filipino students initially will be part of the semiconductors workforce development program funded by the US government in partnership with the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Board of Investments and other local government agencies.</p><p>This program aims to provide training and education for Filipinos who wish to enter the semiconductor industry, which is one of the priority sectors of the Philippine government. </p><p>This is part of the International Technology Security and Innovation (ITSI) program, a $500 million fund provided by the US Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors CHIPS and Science Act, which is designed to enhance semiconductor capabilities and supply chain resilience worldwide.</p><p>For the workforce development program, $13.8 million was provided by the US government for the Philippines, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama, Indonesia, and Vietnam. Arizona State University will provide training to the teachers and trainers, who will then teach the students.</p><p>“Targeting initially around 6,000 students to go but we’ll increase that. Second, we’re working with universities and colleges so we have teams and faculty right now going through ‘train the trainer’,” said Jeffrey Goss, Principal Investigator of ITSI-Arizona State University.</p><p>DTI Undersecretary Ceferino Rodolfo said this program will help more Filipinos get free training on semiconductors, and this will help the Philippine economy which relies on the semiconductor sector. </p><p>The sector is the top contributor to the country’s total exports, accounting for 56.9 percent or $41.91 billion in 2023. As the Philippines expands this sector, Rodolfo said manpower is badly needed.</p><p>He said, “You have investments in the upstream part, but we have to make sure that for supply chain security and resilience, you also should have sufficient investments and workforce capacity building at the end part.”</p><p>“We have the available talent pool. It’s really in terms of upskilling and upscaling this talent pool and directing them towards the semiconductor industry,” he added.</p><p>Rodolfo hopes that more Filipinos will be enticed to join the semiconductor sector, which is a growing sector in the country. In the long run, this program can help bring in more US investments in the Philippines manufacturing sector, and the country can also increase exports.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/4/12/japan-us-to-train-filipino-students-on-semiconductor-supply-chains-1137" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Filipino students to get ‘world-class training’ on semiconductors supply chains from Japan, US</a></div><p>The Philippines is a globally recognized hub for semiconductor manufacturing services with strengths in assembly, testing, and packaging. </p><p>A workforce accelerator meeting is held in Makati to discuss this new program with the government, educational institutions and other stakeholders. Next week, a policy and supply chain leadership institute meeting will be held also to expand the semiconductor sector through policy reforms.</p><div><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/12/28/23/ph-semiconductor-makers-eye-local-wafer-fabrication" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Philippine semiconductor manufacturers eye local silicon wafer fabrication</a></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BCDb6vsWW3M?&amp;ab_channel=ANC24%2F7autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>Over 6,000 Filipino students initially will be part of the semiconductors workforce development program funded by the US government.</p>

Over 6,000 Filipino students initially will be part of the semiconductors workforce development program funded by the US government.

US-funded semiconductor training opens to Filipinos | ABS-CBN

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US-funded semiconductor training opens to Filipinos

US-funded semiconductor training opens to Filipinos

Jekki Pascual,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 25, 2024 04:49 PM PHT

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