Trying to hook New York kids on chip manufacturing

ALBANY — In an effort to introduce students to jobs they might not normally encounter, Albany Nanotech welcomed a class Tuesday to learn about designing microchips.

The program is being piloted by Troy's Redemption Christian Academy, with the goal of expanding to other secondary schools.

Recently, the program also brought students outside to see a drone demonstration and learn how the technology is used for national security.

At Tuesday’s program about microchips, LaMar Hill, executive director of NYDesign, explained that the region will soon need many more skilled chip designers.

Micron is opening a $100 billion semiconductor facility near Syracuse, which is expected to create 50,000 jobs by the end of the decade. But there’s already a shortage of chip designers, Hill told the students.

School officials and program designers hope the students will be inspired to go into fields related to science, technology, engineering and math. Some may also choose a civilian job helping the military.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Hutchinson, an Army Special Forces officer, helped design the semester-long STEM program because too few potential recruits have STEM skills.

The Army needs to recruit software engineers, mechanical and electrical engineers and other specialists. Attempting to recruit them “exposed a gap in the workforce development pipeline in the broader United States in the fields most necessary for the emerging global economy and national defense,” Hutchinson said in written description of the value of the high school STEM program.

Also partnering on the program is the Tech Valley Center of Gravity in Troy, where most of the classes will be held this semester.

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