SEMI member companies rely on a highly skilled workforce. Companies must attract and retain a wide variety of individuals who can innovate, solve complex problems, and anticipate future challenges and opportunities in the rapidly changing and technologically advanced microelectronics sector. 

Research shows that the most innovative and productive companies are also the companies with the most racial and gender diversity in their workforce. Even with years of investment in diversity initiatives, women, veterans, and people of color still make up only a fraction of the tech workforce. The current global pandemic is disproportionately negatively affecting women and people of color in the workplace, undermining what small successes companies have had in diversifying their teams. The layered challenges of existing inequities paired with the pandemic threaten both the livelihoods of workers and the success of member companies. 

The SEMI Foundation’s Global Workforce Development Initiative aims to address both issues. We are working connect a diverse cohort of potential employees to available jobs today, while also addressing long-term industry talent pipeline issues with a racial, gender, and social justice lens. Our programs are designed to reach multiple audiences: K-12 youth; students advancing their education in college, university and graduate programs; and in-career individuals who need to re-skill and up-skill. We are designing programs that prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion to increase the size of our talent pool and to attract and support veterans, women, Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other people of color who are currently under-represented in our industry.