SEM-E: About
SEMCE:
Semiconductor & Electronics Manufacturing
Center of Excellence
SEMCE:
Semiconductor & Electronics Manufacturing
Center of Excellence
Semiconductor & Electronics Manufacturing Center of Excellence
Established in 2004, Centers of Excellence of Washington State (COEWA) support economic growth. Funding for all Centers activities results from legislation in support of Washington state’s named critical industries. Learn more below…
Legislatively funded and supported by the Washington State Board of Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) and hosted at various Washington State Community and Technical Colleges. All Washington State’s Centers of Excellence (COEWA) link business, industry, labor, and the state’s educational systems to create a highly skilled and readily available workforce critical to the state’s economic success.
Centers of Excellence serve as statewide resources standing for the needs and interests of a specific industry sector. Through ongoing investment, Centers are charged with narrowing the gap between employer workforce needs and the colleges’ supply of work-ready graduates. They are a critical part of the state’s strategy of sustaining an innovative and vibrant economy.
Currently, there are Twelve Centers of Excellence across Washington serving as economic development drivers for specific industries. Each center is hosted by one of Washington’s community and technical colleges and serves the entire state.
Focus, Function, and Delivery
The five core expectations for each center are:
- Economic development
- Industry sector strategy
- Education, innovation and efficiency
- Workforce supply and demand
- Equity and access
Washington State Centers of Excellence exists at the intersection of education, business, and industry. It is the connection point between knowledge, activity, and potential. At the center of this dynamic system, COEWA inspires and supports collaboration. COEWA navigates ever-changing workforce complexities by coordinating many stakeholders’ activities through leadership and collaboration. COEWA continuously seeks creative innovation by setting up broad connections and easing relationships across the state.
For more information about the Washington State Center of Excellence, you are invited to the WA SBCTC website, WA Centers of Excellence. The next page shows all Center locations, industry-supported host college, and their directors.
As of Dec. 2022, twelve Centers of Excellence in Washington State are managed through SBCTC. Twelve of the thirty-four state community and technical colleges host a Center of Excellence. The Centers are nearest the State College with the largest critical industry cluster. See Appendix A for a map of all locations showing the Center, its vital industry, the Director, and the host College.
See Appendix B: See the About Document under the Reports page.
Washington State Centers of Excellence locations map
All Washington State Centers of Excellence locations are shown above on the Washington state map. Each site is identified with a small red dot and number, which refers to the table below.
About the
The Semiconductor & Electronics Manufacturing Center of Excellence (SEMCE)
Mission
Build a sustainable channel of qualified workers for the High-Tech Manufacturing industry.
Vision
This Center shall serve as a local and state leader and catalyst in developing partnerships among Semiconductor supply chain manufacturing businesses, industry, education, talent, and government for workforce development and enhancing economic vitality. The Center serves as an SME and liaison to business/industry, talent, and the State’s education systems to create a sustainable, highly skilled, and readily available workforce. This center emphasizes diversity and inclusion of all, which is critical to the success of the Semiconductor and Electronics Manufacturing industries by developing broad spectrum cultures and ideas to drive WA State’s economy and improve the quality of life for all Washingtonians.
The Semiconductors & Electronic Manufacturing Center of Excellence (SEMCE), also referred to as High-Tech Manufacturing, The Center brings a powerful boost to Washington’s high-tech manufacturing industry.
This Center is in Clark County, Washington, and hosted by Clark Community and Technical College at their Columbia Technical Center (CTC) Campus in the same building as Clark Colleges Mechatronics certification and degree programs. The cities of Vancouver and Camas within Clark County are part of the Silicon Forest region, which holds Washington and Oregon’s largest high-tech semiconductor and electronics manufacturing in the PNW area of the USA. Other USA Semiconductor & Electronics and related supply chain manufacturing clusters are Silicon Spuds in Idaho, the Silicon Forest in California, the Silicon Desert in Arizona, and more worldwide. Each is a dense cluster of the industries design, manufacture, and distribution for semiconductor devices and related supply chain industry.
The Center supports the critical links by working with the high-tech manufacturing industry, community partners, and education centers in building pathways for Washington workers and students. These vital links are the avenue to ensure the student’s and worker’s KSA education and training remain current. To continue the sustainable availability of qualified workers for in-demand jobs and create a highly skilled workforce for new and growing businesses. Students and working learners can explore career paths, receive a quality education, participate in short-term focused training, and engage with employers through internships and part- and full-time work experience programs. The result is a career with living wages and benefits.
The SEMCE operates within the SBCTC policy as all other centers. The Center supports all Washington state high-tech industry businesses and those community and technical colleges with technical programs training the new workforce and reskilling or retraining for the high-tech manufacturing industry.
What Industry does the SEMCE support?
This Center supports the leading-edge high-technology manufacturing sector in the semiconductor and electronics manufacturing supply chain. Within this sector are related manufacturing industries, which include (list is not all-inclusive).
• Semiconductor,
• Electronics,
• Microelectronics,
• Robotics,
• Lasers,
• Power Supplies,
• Process Equipment,
• Printed circuit board assembly,
• Additive & subtractive machining,
• Wire harnessing,
• Systems integration,
• Measurement & Testing,
• IIOT – Cyber/physical sensors & S/W
• IIOT – Cyber/physical sensors & S/W,
• Focused optical, electron, & ion systems,
• Control system modules,
• Industry 4.0 Smart Mfg.,
• Wafers, polishers, and slicers.
SEMCE Operations
This Center works within the SBCTC and Centers of Excellence guidelines and strives to meet the needs of identified stakeholders.
This center also strives to support students and working learners who are critical to the success of the High-Tech Manufacturing industry, Post Secondary Education in Community and Technical Colleges, Students and Working Learners, and community partners.
SEMCE Specific operations:
- An Advisors Committee of representatives from SEMCE interested parties and stakeholders offer valuable guidance, feedback, and a review panel. The SEMCE advisors are from Education, Industry, and community organizations. We meet in person semi-annually in April and October. All SEMCE Advisors and leadership receive quarterly Work Plan updates for review and comment each quarter.
- The Director creates an annual Work Plan to be published by June 30th each year. The work Plan follows SBCTC and the Centers of Excellence Leadership guidelines.
- The annual Work Plan supports the 5 Core Expectations, defines the purpose, and planned outcomes/products for 3-5 goals. Work plans include strategic (long-term) and tactical (short-term) programs and projects.
- NOTE: Work Plans do not include short-term projects, actions, or standard operating processes and procedures (SOPs). Updates of these activities are included in quarterly and annual summaries.
- The Work Plan process starts with an in-person Advisor committee conference in April to begin planning for the next fiscal year, which starts in July.
- The annual Work Plan intends to share the Center’s planned goals for the fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) with stakeholders and advisors. The Work Plan is developed based on historical achievements and lessons learned, stakeholder and advisor input, and directions from the Center’s leadership. This collection of inputs, observations, and actions by the Director seeks to forecast events and needs for the next 1 to 3 years.
- Center leadership is key individuals at SBCTC and Clark College. Work Plans may be updated at the Directors discretion to ensure progress during the year to expand an outcome or change and remove aims.
- The fiscal year (FY) begins July 1 and ends the following year on June 30. Quarters start on July, October, January, and March.
- Each FY, a new annual Work Plan, Budget, Advisor Roster, and Assurances are defined/signed in May/June. New Work Plans use previous goal successes and failures for lessons learned and also based on the results from the April Advisors meeting. These documents are then given to SBCTC and Center Advisors by June 30.
- The previous fiscal year work plan is then updated, and a summary of annual results are provided to SBCTC, College leadership, and all Advisor Committee members to evaluate the Center’s performance. These updates occur and are shared the month following the quarter’s close (by the last day of the month, January, April, July, November, and July) for the annual summary and review of progress.
- Following each quarter, the Director updates plans with results and makes any adjustments utilizing advisors, leadership, and stakeholder comments needed for success. After a critical review, all are invited to supply comments, questions, suggestions, and ideas to improve the success and services of the center.
- Then, during the second annual advisor committee conference in October, results are reviewed, and changes may be implemented to ensure goals are met/exceeded.
- The annual and updated Work Plans are posted on the Center’s Website, semewa.com, and a link is shared with Advisor Committee members, the Clark College President, the Vice President of Instruction, the Dean of WPT/STEM, and the SBCTC.
- An Archive of all plans are shared in the ‘Members’ area of the Center’s website, semewa.com
- The SEMCE Website is designed to share relevant information with all who may visit the site. The site has the following top-level pages:
- Who We Serve
- News (for public consumption)
- Events
- About
- Members (non-public information for Advisors and Leadership)