SOUTHEAST BOISE, Idaho — Micron opened a new training center in Boise on Monday as the company works to prepare more workers for its growing semiconductor manufacturing operations.
The Micron Training Center will provide classroom instruction and hands-on experience with semiconductor equipment, bringing more training directly to the company's Boise campus.
The opening also marked the signing of Micron's newest apprenticeship cohort.
For Micron technician Bailey Guthrie, the program provided a path toward a career after she said she struggled to find direction after high school.
"I was just living the – just got out of high school ... young adult things and not taking life seriously," Guthrie said. "And then ... I had an epiphany one day, and I was like, 'Hey, I actually gotta do something here.'"
WATCH | Micron invests in workforce training as its Boise footprint expands—
Guthrie, who grew up in Boise, entered Micron's apprenticeship program, which combines education through the College of Western Idaho with on-the-job training at Micron. Apprentices earn while they learn, with much of the training centered around mechatronics and the technical skills needed to work with equipment used in semiconductor manufacturing.
Guthrie said the experience gave her a sense of direction.
"It gave me that routine and that confidence and all that stuff that you learn in, like, a corporate setting," Guthrie said.
The new training center gives apprentices classroom space and hands-on experience with the types of semiconductor tools they could encounter on the job.
The investment in workforce development comes as Micron significantly expands its semiconductor manufacturing operations.
"Micron is investing $250 billion with a B in semiconductor manufacturing," said Fran Dillard, Micron's vice president of global talent acquisition and workforce.
Dillard said expanding manufacturing capacity also requires building a workforce capable of operating increasingly advanced equipment.
"We cannot have these advanced manufacturing facilities without skilled workers who can operate in those facilities and who can operate that equipment," Dillard said.
Gov. Brad Little and Boise Mayor Lauren McLean were among the state and local leaders who attended Monday's grand opening.
College of Western Idaho President Gordon Jones said the partnership between CWI and Micron provides an opportunity for Idaho residents to prepare for careers created by the semiconductor industry's growth.
"It's really a once-in-a-generation opportunity, and I think it's a once-in-a-generation opportunity for residents of Idaho," Jones said.
For Guthrie, that opportunity has already changed the direction of her life.
"I felt more like I belonged in that class rather than I did before, and I felt like that was something I was meant to do as opposed to I was just showing up," Guthrie said.
Micron says a $3 million investment through the CHIPS Act is also helping expand workforce training in partnership with CWI.
