US launches Foundry School to train workers for chip and defence resurgence

The US has launched the Foundry School programme to train workers for semiconductors, defence and energy. The effort aims to cut strategic dependence on other countries and rebuild industrial capacity.The US on Thursday launched the Foundry School programme to train skilled workers needed for its push to rebuild domestic manufacturing after outsourcing key capabilities to other countries for several years. Part of the Pax Silica initiative, the programme is aimed at sectors such as semiconductors, defence and energy.The programme was launched by Vice President J D Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the presence of leaders from eight American universities that are partnering in the effort. American manufacturers are expected to need 3.8 million skilled workers by 2033 in semiconductors, defence, energy and other sectors, and the new programme is intended to prepare workers for roles ranging from engineering and technical jobs to entrepreneurship and industrial leadership.Speaking at the launch, Vance said, "We have learned over the years that if America doesn't have enough self-sufficiency in industry and manufacturing, our enemies are able to exploit it and it makes our country much weaker." He added, "The only way to fix that is to reindustrialise the United States of America."Rubio said the US had lost manufacturing capability over the years as businesses focused on lowering costs for consumers with the belief that the whole world would become free enterprise. "We woke up to the reality just a few years ago that we are suddenly, as a nation, dangerously dependent on other nations for all sorts of things that we need, not simply for economic vibrancy, but in many cases for our national security and our very survival as a prosperous nation-state," Rubio said. "Now we are involved in this endeavour across the board to try to reverse those mistakes," he said. The US Department of State said it plans to support the participation of Pax Silica economies in Foundry School and is working with Stanford University to develop the curriculum for US and foreign participants. The Foundry School will work with Pax Silica economies to create opportunities for America and its partners in industries seen as critical to economic security. India is a signatory to Pax Silica, a US-led initiative to build alternate supply chains for computer chips, artificial intelligence models and rare earth minerals, and to reduce dependence on China.The Foundry School is intended to close gaps in design and manufacturing capacity. Seven regional sessions, beginning this month and hosted by Arizona State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, The Ohio State University, The Pennsylvania State University, the University of Kansas, Vanderbilt University, and Washington University in St Louis, will cover the fundamentals of modern factory design, materials and supply chains, assembly-line engineering, plant economics, regulation and permitting, and workforce development at scale. A ten-session core programme hosted by Stanford University, beginning in January 2027, will build on that base with advanced manufacturing capabilities, including precision tooling, industrial automation, quality systems, new product introduction, digital manufacturing, capital equipment, energy, global site selection and defence production. It will end with a capstone session on lessons from failed manufacturing ventures.Overall, the initiative aims to bring together governments, industry and universities to strengthen critical supply chains and industrial capabilities that support the AI economy, while building a larger skilled workforce for US manufacturing.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Sep 3, 2026 21:56 IST