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Show Cross ' Currents Page 16 mm Ci3 3 6Q ' wwagi" i vy- igwwr r a O csccafl ' - "1 - DC1D f March 7, 1997 DOD LI C vi.'Mn'VW'N Training for a $32,000 job Students, colleges get help from Intel Corporation By Margaret Cheasebro While seem the norm teens and young adults, students in a training program sparked by Intel Corporation look forward to a starting wage of $32,000 annually. Junior and senior high school students and community college students have a chance at such a start by enrolling in semiconductor manufacturing technology (SMT) classes at San Juan College, Farmington. Eligible are San Juan College students and vocational students from Aztec, Bloomfield, Farmington, and Central Consolidated School districts. Intel Corporation, which manufactures computer chips at Rio Rancho, on the west side of Albuquerque, has helped create this opportunity. Intel needs technicians, and the SMT classes are the outgrowth of its partnership w ith San Juan College and six other community colleges in New Mexico. The SMT program began in the fall of 1995 at San Juan College and has seen a 41 percent growth rate each semester, said Doyle Meyer, w ho directs the college's controls technology department, of which the SMT program is a part. We may double the enrollment in the next two years, he said. Of the 100 students currently in the program, the first six will graduate w ith associate of applied science degrees this spring. We anticipate graduating 30 students a semester w ithin two years, Meyer said. Most w ill find jobs, because 800 new semiconductor manufacturing technologists w ill be needed this year in New Mexico, Meyer said. He hopes to recruit more women for the program, w hich has two fulltime instructors, Meyer and Jim e teachers. Green, and five High school students can take advantage of the training, because the college is the location of the Area Vocational School, funded by all four school districts and the college. It provides a central location with more sophisticated equipment and vocational education programs than each district alone could afford. the capability of its product," said Meyer. That's how they maintain Unlike some other courses at the area vocational school, SMT classes can be taken by junior and senior high students to earn a minimum of five college credit hours per semester free of charge. Those who work more diligently minimum-wag- e their market share. They can get the product to market faster than others." To meet that goal, they need technicians. well-traine- d fabs, in Albuquerque. It gives them a chance to see if they like the work, and it lets Intel take a look at 9 them. The students get paid an hour during that time, Some college instructors also can work a summer at Intel to see how the operation works and understand machines better the used by the company. Green spent last summer working with Intel in Albuquerque. He found the experience useful $8-$- j state-of-the-- andmind-expandin- g. They take machines that are standard semiconductor machines and push them to the limit to do new and different things they were not initially intended to do, Green said. SMT training at San Juan College is based on computer-aide- d instruction w ith some hands-o- n d experience. Students are and work with a computer that takes them through the various steps of the class. Teachers help when questions stuarise. It takes dents who are to to figwilling try Bemita Billy gets hands-o- n experience in a voltage divide lab at San Juan for themselves. answer the ure out College, Farmington. ( Photo by Margaret Cheasebro) The more motivated the students But Intel couldn't find enough can earn up to a year of college are, the faster they can w ork through credit during their junior and senior said the program. to hire, qualified people stu-said So school technicians are Meyer. High years, they had to create a j Meyer. w hat the industry w ants and needs, dents get twice as much time to work force in the schools. San Juan College is one of seven complete the course work as college Meyer said. Students from students get. community colleges in New Mexico systems understand they need The Intel Corporation has donatthat have formed a partnership w ith to solve problems themselves, not ed scholarships, cash, and equipIntel to provide training for workers run to someone else for the in semiconductor manufactur-- 1 ment totaling almost $300,000 to answers. stuSMT train the -j The effort it takes to complete help program ingtechnology. dents in electronics. In turn, the pro-- j Intel also has an SMT training the SMT program is worth it, he said. People can start out with Intel gram provides Intel and other tech-- ! program in Colorado Springs and is industries with a pool nology-base- d developing programs in Phoenix and at a salary of about $32,000. If they of people from w hich they can find Tucson. There are no programs in w ork hard and stay w ith the compathe technicians that make up almost techUtah, Meyer said, but trained ny, they can expect to double their 70 percent of their work force in nicians can find work there. starting salary in seven to ten years. New Mexico. Intel is part of an organization Its the kind of job that would Intel needs the technicians to called SemiTech, a consortium of appeal to a lot of technologically micro-cocomsemiconductor minded people. High school stuproduce manufacturing dents w ho attend the area vocational puter chips, which make computers panies. Intel has been the primary and other modem electronic devices source of money for SemiTech to school have a leg up on getting the work. The most complex and develop training programs such as training to help them find a job like advanced of these chips is the MMX the one at San Juan College, Meyer that. Pentium processor, which has about said. ( Margaret Cheasebro is a writer five million electronic circuit ele- -' Some college students will have and school counselor who lives ments on a chip the size of a thumb-- 1 the opportunity to spend a summer north of Aztec.) nail. or semester interning at one of Intels fabrication facilities, called Every 18 months, Intel doubles self-pace- self-motivat- ed j j I Self-motivat- self-pac- ' j i state-of-the-a- part-tim- j rt ed |