TC3 Part of NSF Grant to Provide Free Semiconductor Training to Veterans

Tompkins Cortland Community College has been added to a National Science Foundation project at Penn State University to bring military veterans into the nanotechnology workforce. Working in partnership with Cornell University, TC3 will offer veterans in the region the opportunity to enroll in a free 12-week program that will teach the principles and practices needed to succeed in the semiconductor industry. 

The Microelectronics and Nanomanufacturing Certificate Program (MNCP) was created specifically for veterans of the United States military. The goal of the NSF-funded project is to help meet the needs of growing microelectronics and semiconductor workforces in regions where semiconductor manufacturing and related industries are expanding. TC3 is one of seven community college partners taking part in the project across the country, each paired with a neighboring university. Students will have live-streamed lectures delivered by Penn State’s Center for Nanotechnology Education and Utilization (CNEU) faculty. All the hands-on lab work for students in the local cohort will take place in the cleanroom environment at the Cornell NanoScale Facility.

The program starts in the fall and is offered at no cost to veterans and active duty military members, as well as their spouses and dependents. At the end of the 12-week class participants will have earned a Microelectronics and Nanomanufacturing Certificate from Penn State University, and will be eligible to take the three nanotechnology stackable certification exams administered by the international standards organization ASTM International.

This class will be offered through Tompkins Cortland Community College BIZ. For more information contact Director of Continuing Education and Workforce Development Carrie Coates Whitmore at biz@tompkinscortland.edu.