Education at the Nano Center: Workforce Development

Over the past six months the Minnesota Nano Center, working with the University's Technological Leadership Institute (TLI) and three regional technology companies, launched a major effort to expand training of Minnesota's technical workforce for careers in semiconductor manufacturing. The MNC and TLI partnered with Honeywell, Collins Aerospace, and Polar Semiconductor to offer online training modules and hands-on experience with the tools and techniques necessary to manufacture integrated circuits, advanced sensors, and other microdevices. From February to April, the MNC hosted 60 company staff for hands-on training sessions in our cleanrooms, allowing people to use the tools of photolithography, thin film deposition, etching, and device characterization. 

The training course was very popular with the participating companies, and several additional Twin Cities manufactures have expressed interest in joining the program. Planning is now underway for a second training cohort in the latter half of 2024. Stay tuned!