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Microtechnology, Education and the AFT
AFT affiliates with Micron have developed a pioneering learning toolkit that helps thousands of high school students hone the foundational skills necessary for career success in the booming semiconductor industry. Now this groundbreaking endeavor is expanding to two additional states with the help of a federal grant.
The first-of-its-kind Advanced Technology Framework, launched in 10 New York state school districts in the fall of 2024 and developed directly with New York State United Teachers, local educators and manufacturing firm Micron Technology, helps students pave a career pathway to good middle-class jobs in the high-tech microchips sector after graduation.
The curriculum framework will now also be available in Michigan and Minnesota following the announcement Sept. 25 of a $1.72 million grant from Natcast, the federal nonprofit that operates the National Semiconductor Technology Center consortium, established by the CHIPS and Science Act. Nearly 1,500 students will participate across the three states.
Meanwhile, investments in education for this growing industry continue to create opportunities for young people today and for the future.
Read about the expanded federal grant the AFT facilitated: It will build on an existing microchip curriculum called the Advanced Technical Framework and open new opportunities for students and industry together.
Developed by New York teachers in partnership with Micron Technology, the Advanced Technical Framework is part of a pilot program in 10 New York school districts beginning in fall 2024. Geared to 10th, 11th and 12th graders the framework covers job exploration as well as the foundational and technical skills needed to enter the microchip industry.
To launch the teaching and learning portion of the Advanced Technical Framework—which exposes students in 10 districts in New York to the foundational and technical skills needed for advanced manufacturing careers—Micron provided union affiliates $30,000 per site for this school year. These snapshots show how they will use these initial investments.
Natcast, the powerhouse of the federal government’s CHIPS for America program, is awarding more than $11 million to seven institutions, including the AFT Educational Foundation, to support the semiconductor workforce ecosystem.
The AFT is one of just seven organizations granted funding by the National Semiconductor Technology Center’s Workforce Center of Excellence, and the only one to focus on K12 education. The $250 million Biden-Harris investment includes funds for AFT’s Advanced Technical Framework at school sites in New York, Michigan and Minnesota.
Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York recently secured $3.2 million for workforce development from the National Semiconductor Technology Center’s Workforce Center of Excellence, including more than $1.7 million for the AFT’s Advanced Technology Framework, a program he has championed from the start.
Along with the Advanced Technology Framework supported by AFT affiliates, New York State is supporting a variety of partnerships that will result in a rich mosaic of educational opportunities for students to pursue careers in advanced manufacturing.
Read more about the AFT’s commitment to real solutions like experiential learning and career and technical education on our Real Solutions page.