High school students at the Western Maricopa Education Center, known as West-MEC, are being trained for careers in advanced manufacturing as Arizona prepares for thousands of new jobs in semiconductor production and related industries.
The Phoenix-area programme gives pupils practical experience with machinery, tools and safety procedures, offering a route into sectors including aerospace, automotive manufacturing and chip production.
For Lilo Taputu, joining the course opened up a career possibility she had not previously considered.
“It was just a whole new world that I stepped into,” she said. “I really thought, this is something I could do in my future.”
Training for semiconductor manufacturing careers
Matthew Cotton, a West-MEC instructor, said the aim was to give students a strong foundation before they entered the workplace.
“What we do here with the students is make sure they have a solid foundation before they go into the business so that they would be better trainees and have a better sense of using tools,” he said.
Students learn that operating industrial equipment involves more than simply switching on a machine. Taputu said the course covered procedures and safety precautions designed to prepare pupils for the demands of a working factory.
“West-MEC teaches you everything you need to transfer into the real world the next day,” she said.
Arizona officials have identified advanced manufacturing and semiconductors as major areas of workforce growth. The Arizona Commerce Authority said in February 2026 that the state was expected to add more than 25,000 semiconductor jobs in the coming years, with education and training providers working to expand the talent pipeline. ([azcommerce.com](https://www.azcommerce.com/news-events/news/2026/2/aca-and-u-of-a-semiconductor-nano-fabrication-center/?utm_source=openai))
West-MEC has also been named as a partner in semiconductor technician training initiatives involving Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, alongside universities and community colleges. TSMC Arizona said its Phoenix operation could eventually employ nearly 6,000 people across three advanced manufacturing facilities, including thousands of technicians. ([osi.az.gov](https://osi.az.gov/news/governor-katie-hobbs-joined-tsmc-arizona-and-mayor-kate-gallego-announce-new-semiconductor?utm_source=openai))
Cotton said the skills developed by his students could be applied wherever machinery is used.
“Anything that has machines running these guys would be able to go to,” he said.
The class has put its training into practice through creative projects, including a challenge coin designed to celebrate the class of 2026. Students have also been allowed to use the machines to make their own items after completing assigned work.
“By the end of the year they’re making stuff by themselves,” Cotton said. “They become confident, they go in and they run.”
Maxim Casillas spent some of his free time helping to make a holster for a lightsaber, working in a team of four around each lathe.
“It was super cool because we all worked together to make it super cool,” he said.
Casillas said the course offered a direct route into employment without requiring another two years of study.
“I want to be able to provide for a family,” he said. “Automotive manufacturing doesn’t need another two years of a degree. You can go straight into the workforce, which is what I’m planning on doing.”
