ASCENT Ecosystem supports, trains next generation of workforce – opens doors in southeast Ohio

Semiconductors are everywhere. Most electronics including phones, laptops, cars, smart appliances and even essential medical equipment rely heavily on semiconductors.

In the U.S., semiconductor manufacturing has traditionally been confined to the western part of the country, but the majority are made overseas. In an effort to become more self-reliant, the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 has led to an increase in American semiconductor research, development, production and a reshoring of advanced manufacturing in the U.S., including Ohio.

In 2022, Intel awarded Ohio University $3 million in grant funding to serve as the lead institution for the Appalachian Semiconductor Education and Technical (ASCENT) Ecosystem, a program that has created an inclusive workforce development and training program to cultivate the next generation of skilled technical professionals for Ohio’s emerging semiconductor industry starting with K-12 students and extending all the way to graduate-level programs. The ecosystem has now drawn in a total of more than $20 million including Intel’s initial investment.

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Intel is currently in the process of building the first of eight planned facilities in New Albany, Ohio, and the impact will certainly be felt in the southeast portion of the state. ASCENT Program Director and OHIO Associate Dean of Industry Partnerships Scott Miller says the semiconductor industry coming to Ohio is the state’s largest economic development project ever with $28 billion in federal and private funds invested thus far.

“As Intel moves into this region, into the state, they are investing in educational institutions such as Ohio University and our partners to grow the workforce that will then help operate those new facilities,” Miller said. “They will need a total of up to 3,000 fully qualified technicians, operators, engineers and scientists to run that facility.”

Miller went on to say the ripple effect of Intel moving in will likely create even more jobs through various suppliers and spin-off companies—similar to the economic impact semiconductors had in Arizona. In fact, Intel’s Semiconductor Education and Research Program (SERP) holds OHIO as a model for doing similar work across the nation due to the cohesiveness of the ASCENT Ecosystem, the effectiveness of OHIO reaching out to rural populations and the strength of relationships with its partner institutions.

“We're building out a workforce in a rural setting not just for Intel, but that whole supplier network, and that really hasn't been done much before, especially in an area like rural, southeastern, Appalachian Ohio,” Miller explained. “What we're doing is a model to push this out further into the Appalachia region of not just Ohio, but the whole Central Appalachian region, West Virginia, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Tennessee and so forth.”

To build this workforce, the ASCENT Ecosystem has created semiconductor-related inroads tailored to every educational level.

“We're building a pathway for students to go from the high school level to a one-year certificate, to a two-year degree, to a four-year degree and an advanced degree,” said Miller. “So, we have the entire complement of degree pathways and certifications that you can get and that make us unique—we're also the only program in the state that has included career centers in our development efforts.”

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To further support students preparing for a career in Ohio’s high-tech industries Ohio University is offering ASCENT scholarships. These scholarships are included in the Intel grant which provides up to $400,000 in scholarships through the ASCENT partnership each year. ASCENT has offered 295 scholarships to date with 50 more on the way soon—this number will far exceed the initial goal and only represents half of this academic year.

Additionally, ASCENT worked with the Dean Students Office and Student Affairs to OHIO’s Student Emergency Fund to ensure something like an electricity bill or flat tire won’t derail students from achieving their educational goals.

“We also recognize some of the other challenges and obstacles that students from our region face while pursuing a higher education degree,” said ASCENT Project Manager Christopher Quolke. “So, we also have taken a portion of our funds and added to the University's barrier fund to help students who have a one-time cost that may otherwise disrupt their academic trajectory to get funding to overcome that so they can stay and complete their degree.”

Because of the relationships OHIO has made in the semiconductor environment, the University has already hosted several industry professionals on campus to connect with students and share career pathway opportunities with students.

“[Recently], we hosted a semiconductor supplier who came to campus and they were very interested in meeting with some of our students and faculty,” emphasized Quolke. “We pretty much filled the room with students, graduate students and staff. Those kinds of industry-student pairing, professional development opportunities are only something we can do because of the relationships we’ve made and the scope of work we're delivering on.”

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Another part of the ASCENT Ecosystem is a strong emphasis on recruiting K-12 students into high-tech, advanced manufacturing career fields. This past summer, Ohio University student interns helped with 15 different summer camps across southeast Ohio, reaching more than 2,500 students in the process.

“That’s transformative,” said Miller. “In fact, our number alone through the ASCENT project exceeded Intel's statewide goals for STEM outreach.”

Student interns supported activities at career centers, school districts and on campus. During OHIO’s Kids on Campus event, Ohio University students provided two weeks of STEM programming that alone reached 80 participants. Quolke said this was one of the best opportunities for students as they got the chance to devise and deliver activities that they would have wanted to go to when they were that age.

“I think our students truly sell the Ohio University experience better than any employee I've ever met, just from taking students out into rural communities this summer and setting them up with the demonstrations,” said Quolke. “Our students come in as near-peers where rural community members, who often don't have access to a young adult demographic, really respond positively because they don't get the opportunity to meet many younger adults who are passionate studying a STEM field.”

Miller added that part of the outreach is introducing rural K-12 students and communities to these new advanced manufacturing career paths that either didn’t exist or weren’t accessible to before.

“These are career pathways that haven't existed or if they did, they existed in very small numbers, so parents don't tell their children to go into these kinds of high paying, high tech, advanced manufacturing kinds of career fields, but they're going to, and they're going to in large numbers,” he said. “And so, we're starting to lay the groundwork in our K-12 outreach.”

To learn more about the ASCENT Ecosystem, please visit www.ohio.edu/work-intel.