Silicon Valley colleges launch program to train next-gen manufacturing workers

Agustin Espino worked as a janitor for a manufacturing company about 15 years ago when his fascination with machinery began. His boss sent him to De Anza College in Cupertino for formal training as a machinist, where he eventually became one of the school’s lab technicians.

De Anza College, along with five other local schools, plans to uplift students similar to Espino with the Silicon Valley Advanced Manufacturing Program. The four-year program is funded by a $5.6 million U.S. Department of Labor grant and will train up to 725 students in sectors ranging from automation to semiconductors, when it launches in April. Its goal is to train Latino, Black and female students — often underrepresented in the manufacturing field — through supportive programs such as English as a second language courses. White employees make up about 69% of the manufacturing workforce nationwide, and about 71% are men, according to 2022 data.