[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 136 (Monday, July 16, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 32842-32843]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-15077]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket Number: 180404350-8350-01]


Current and Future Workforce Needs to Support a Strong Domestic 
Semiconductor Industry

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology, Department of 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice; Request for Information (RFI).

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SUMMARY: The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on 
behalf of the Department of Commerce and the National Security Council 
is seeking information on the scope and sufficiency of efforts to 
educate, train, and attract the workforce necessary to meet the demands 
of the current and future semiconductor industry, in support of the 
President's National Security Strategy.

DATES: Comments must be received by 5:00 p.m. Eastern time on August 
15, 2018. Written comments in response to this RFI should be submitted 
in accordance with the instructions in the ADDRESSES and SUPPLEMENTARY 
INFORMATION sections below. Submissions received after that date may 
not be considered.

ADDRESSES: To respond to this RFI, please submit written comments by 
email to [email protected] in any of the following formats: ASCII; 
Word; RTF; or PDF. Please include your name, organization's name (if 
any), and cite ``Semiconductor Workforce RFI'' in the subject line of 
all correspondence. Comments sent by any other method, to any other 
address or individual, or received after the end of the comment period, 
may not be considered. All personal identifying information (e.g., 
name, address) submitted voluntarily by the sender will be publicly 
accessible. Do not submit confidential business information, or 
otherwise sensitive or protected information. Attachments to electronic 
comments will be accepted in Microsoft Word or Excel, or Adobe PDF 
formats only.
    Comments containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include electronic 
copies of the referenced materials. Please do not submit additional 
materials.
    All submissions, including attachments and other supporting 
materials, will become part of the public record and subject to public 
disclosure. Sensitive personal information, such as account numbers or 
Social Security numbers, or names of other individuals, should not be 
included. Submissions will not be edited to remove any identifying or 
contact information. Do not submit confidential business information, 
or otherwise sensitive or protected information. Comments that contain 
profanity, vulgarity, threats, or other inappropriate language or 
content will not be considered.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:  For questions about this FRN contact: 
Jason Boehm or David Seiler, U.S. Department of Commerce, National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, at 301-975-8678 or 301-975-2074.
    Please direct media inquiries to Jennifer Huergo in the NIST Public 
Affairs Office at [email protected], (301) 975-6343.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:  President Trump's National Security 
Strategy,\1\ released in December of 2017, specifically highlights the 
importance of emerging technologies to economic growth and security, 
including advances in data science, encryption, autonomous 
technologies, new materials, advanced computing technologies, and 
artificial intelligence--all of which are powered by and dependent upon 
continued advances in semiconductor technology. Maintaining the 
technological edge of the United States in this critical industry area 
requires a robust domestic workforce. As part of the National Security 
Strategy, the United States will seek to maintain and develop the 
necessary workforce through a multifaceted approach including enhanced 
support for K-12, undergraduate, and graduate STEM education (with a 
particular focus on semiconductor technology), targeted technical 
training, internship and apprenticeship programs, and cooperative 
education programs.
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    \1\ https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/NSS-Final-12-18-2017-0905-2.pdf.
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    Responses to this RFI will inform recommendations to the National 
Security Council on steps the Administration can take to strengthen the 
technical workforce that supports the semiconductor and related 
industries. The report will assess the scope and sufficiency of efforts 
to educate and train the future American semiconductor workforce from 
primary through higher education, and provide recommendations and a 
plan on how the government will continue to support the growth and 
sustainment of this workforce to meet the needs of both the private and 
public sectors.
    In this RFI, NIST seeks specific information from stakeholders of 
the semiconductor industry such as materials providers, equipment 
suppliers, manufacturers, designers, trade associations, educational 
institutions, government entities, and other interested parties about 
the workforce needs of the semiconductor industry, and potential 
efforts to strengthen the current and future workforce. In this 
request, the term ``semiconductor'' broadly refers to semiconductor 
materials, devices, sensors, integrated circuits, computing 
architectures, software tools, design, lithography, fabrication, 
testing, packaging, embedded software and firmware developers, and 
related technologies that, through a combination of materials 
processing, manufacturing, and application, form the foundation and 
basis for the semiconductor, memory, technology manufacturing, 
computing, and information technology industry sectors.
    NIST seeks information that will assist U.S. Government efforts in 
developing recommendations for supporting the growth and sustainment of 
the Nation's semiconductor workforce to meet the current and future 
needs of the public and private sectors. Our goal is to gather input 
that will be utilized to refine and target relevant federal resources 
and programs to attract, educate, and train the necessary advanced 
technical workforce necessary to ensure that the U.S. maintains a 
robust semiconductor industrial base, including the fundamental 
research needed to continue to innovate in semiconductor technologies, 
that is necessary to drive future advances in transformational 
technologies including

[[Page 32843]]

artificial intelligence (AI), advanced and quantum computing, and 
autonomous systems.

Request for Information

    Respondents are encouraged--but not required--to respond to any or 
all of the following questions, and may address related topics. Please 
identify the questions or topic areas each of your comments addresses. 
The following questions cover the major areas about which NIST seeks 
comment. These questions are directed towards domestic semiconductor 
manufacturers, associated supporting industries, educational 
institutions, and their stakeholders. Responses may include estimates. 
Please indicate where the response is an estimate.
    Respondents may organize their submissions in response to this RFI 
in any manner, and all responses that comply with the requirements 
listed in the DATES and ADDRESSES sections of this notice will be 
considered.
    Comments containing references, studies, research, and other 
empirical data that are not widely published should include electronic 
copies of the referenced materials. Do not include in comments or 
otherwise submit proprietary or confidential information. Comments that 
contain profanity, vulgarity, threats, or inappropriate language or 
content will not be considered.

Basic Information

    Briefly describe your company or organization in terms of:
    a. What is the name of your company or organization?
    b. How is your company or organization involved with the 
semiconductor industry (e.g., industry association, university, company 
involved in semiconductor design, fabrication, package test and 
assembly, or other)?

Workforce Challenges and Needs

    1. When hiring technical staff, for what types of positions do you 
encounter the most difficultly in finding qualified employees?
    a. Have you been able to identify any causes for these recruitment 
difficulties (lack of appropriate educational programs, lack of 
collaboration between industry and educational institutions, 
competition within your industry, competition for talent from outside 
your industry, etc.)
    2. Are there specific educational levels that are needed for your 
current workforce?
    a. Are there some educational levels where it is harder to find 
qualified staff?
    b. Have you been able to identify any causes for these difficulties 
in finding qualified staff (high competition for a specific talent 
pool, lack of experienced individuals, educational programs not 
directly aligned with your needs, etc.)
    3. Are there certain factors relating to workforce needs that your 
company or organization prioritizes when locating a new facility, for 
example a strong base of existing talent, a robust local educational 
ecosystem, etc.?
    4. How do you see the work force needs of your company or 
organization changing over the next 5 years, 10 years, 15 years?
    a. Do you think that certain levels of education will be more 
important?
    b. Are there fields of training that you think will be more 
important?
    5. As the industry continues to evolve and develop and integrate 
new technologies (e.g., new computing paradigms, new material systems, 
broader use of AI) are there skillsets that you see as becoming more 
important?
    a. Do you have an opinion on the types of training needed to 
develop these skillsets for the future?
    b. From your experience are there types of partnerships with 
federal agencies and/or educational institutions that would be helpful 
to prepare this workforce for the future?
    6. Are there certain obstacles that you see as the biggest 
impediment to meeting your workforce needs? For example, a lack of 
aligned educational programs (including internship and apprenticeship 
opportunities), a lack of collaboration with such educational programs, 
a lack of students in science and engineering, a lack of interest in 
your industry, a lack of facilities with appropriate equipment to train 
workers (e.g., community colleges without access to fabrication 
equipment/facilities), or other issues? Please describe.

Potential Workforce Solutions

    7. Are there specific approaches your company or organization 
utilizes to address your workforce needs? For example, tailored 
partnerships and curricula with regional universities and community 
colleges, internship or apprenticeship programs, training or retraining 
of displaced workers, or other approaches?
    8. Are there certain approaches or actions that would most 
effectively stimulate the supply of qualified workers for the 
semiconductor industry in the near term (e.g., targeted scholarships 
including internships/apprenticeships, loan repayment incentives, 
procurement of specialized equipment for schools and universities, 
immigration and visa reform, etc.)?
    9. What approaches do you think would most effectively stimulate 
the supply of qualified workers for the semiconductor industry over the 
long term (e.g., professional development opportunities for K-12 
teachers and K-12 student programs such as camps, competitions and 
projects in the semiconductor space)?
    10. Although apprenticeship has, in the past, been available mostly 
to those in the traditional trades, efforts are now underway to expand 
apprenticeship into new fields, including advanced manufacturing, IT, 
healthcare, energy supply and distribution, banking and finance and 
engineering (in partnership with four-year institutions). Have you 
considered engaging in apprenticeship training to prepare your 
workforce? Why or why not?
    11. Are there examples of partnerships with local educational 
institutions (e.g., a work-study program) that you use to support your 
operations?
    12. Are there types of support (grants, economic development 
incentives or other benefits) from federal, state and local government 
agencies that have helped enable your workforce? Of these types of 
support what makes them most effective?

    Authority:  15 U.S.C. 278s.

Kevin A. Kimball,
Chief of Staff.
[FR Doc. 2018-15077 Filed 7-13-18; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3510-13-P