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The pace and scale of innovation is rapidly expanding. Semiconductors are playing a vital role, but the industry faces the challenge of potentially not having enough people to meet the moment. For years, having a four-year degree was a requirement. That will no longer work. As an industry we need to change our thinking. We need to create new pathways for people to participate and contribute to this critical industry. One of the most powerful ways is through registered apprenticeships.
During National Apprenticeship Week, we celebrate a pathway that is not only reshaping how talent enters the semiconductor industry but is also expanding the opportunities for people to participate in developing and manufacturing the technologies that power our world.
A different kind of on-ramp to a critical industry
For decades, careers in semiconductor manufacturing have often been associated with traditional four-year degrees. Those pathways still matter, but they cannot be the only door in.
Apprenticeships offer a fundamentally different on-ramp. They combine paid, on-the-job experience with structured learning, allowing individuals to earn while they learn and build real-world skills from day one. In an industry as dynamic and essential as semiconductors, that kind of immersive, applied learning isn’t just valuable — it’s necessary.
At Micron, apprenticeships are a strategic investment in the workforce our future depends on.
Expanding access to opportunity
The semiconductor industry sits at the center of global innovation, from AI to advanced computing to the technologies that enable everyday life. As demand for talent accelerates, so does our responsibility to ensure that opportunity is accessible to all.
Registered apprenticeships create local, accessible entry points into high-impact careers for people who may not have pursued, or had access to, traditional degree pathways. Apprenticeships remove barriers and open doors for career switchers, veterans transitioning their skills, and community members ready to step into high-impact roles.
This is what “opportunity for all” looks like in action.
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Learning by doing from day one
One of the most powerful aspects of apprenticeships is how participants experience the workplace.
From day one, apprentices are embedded in real teams, solving real problems, contributing to real outcomes and seeing the impact of their work. They’re not observing from the sidelines; they are part of the mission. That sense of being part of a team, paired with hands-on skill development, accelerates both confidence and capability.
In semiconductor manufacturing, where precision, collaboration, and continuous learning are critical, this model mirrors the reality of the work. Apprentices don’t just learn about the industry; they become a part of it.
Building the workforce of the future — together
No single company can meet the growing demand for semiconductor talent alone. That’s why partnerships are essential.
At Micron, we work closely with community colleges, workforce development organizations, government partners and educational institutions to co-create registered apprenticeship programs that align industry needs with community opportunity. These collaborations ensure that training is relevant, accessible, and scalable.
They also help us, as historic investments in U.S. manufacturing and research and development (R&D) continue to accelerate the need for skilled talent at every level.
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Meeting the moment
The semiconductor industry is transforming at an unprecedented speed. In this moment, we have a choice: to rely solely on traditional pathways or to expand them.
Apprenticeships are one of the ways we can expand the pathways.
They are how we unlock potential, strengthen our talent pipeline, and ensure that the future of innovation is built by a workforce as dynamic and determined as the challenges ahead.
And during National Apprenticeship Week, we are reminded of something fundamental: When we invest in people, and in pathways that work, we don’t just prepare for the future — we build it.
