Rep. Greg Stanton will be joined by Dr. Steven R. Gonzales, Chancellor of Maricopa Community Colleges, as his guest for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address tomorrow evening. MCCCD is one of the largest community college districts in the country, and a leading provider of workforce development training in fast-growing industries like semiconductor manufacturing and the biosciences.
“Thanks to targeted federal investments, Arizona’s economy is booming—and Maricopa Community Colleges is rising to meet the moment. Dr. Gonzalez and the dedicated MCCCD faculty and staff are working to prepare Arizona students to fill high-paying jobs in these industries of the future,” Stanton said.
As the Stanton-backed CHIPS and Science Act is implemented, MCCCD is working to meet demand for semiconductor technicians. Three colleges in the system—including Chandler-Gilbert Community College and Mesa Community College in the East Valley—offer courses as part of the Semiconductor Quick Start program, which can prepare students for entry-level employment in the semiconductor industry in as little as two weeks or 40 hours.
Stanton also secured a $1.8 million federal investment in 2023 to help MCCCD develop and expand its STEM curriculum, preparing students for careers in Arizona’s rapidly growing bioscience sector. According to Lightcast, a leading labor market and economic analytics tool, the bioscience workforce in Arizona is projected to grow an estimated 20 percent over the next decade.