On May 14, Gov. Katie Hobbs and the Arizona Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) announced the expansion of the ReadyTechGo initiative to the Mohave, Coconino and Yavapai community colleges.
“ReadyTechGo is a statewide partnership between six community colleges and companies across the state to provide workforce and training and to support the growing advanced manufacturing industry in Arizona,” says Mary Foote, the director of the OEO. “We’re working with companies like LG, TSMC, Raytheon and Purina, across all corners of the state to have a consistent curriculum that companies can rely on to ensure they have the trained and dedicated workforce they need.”
The need for an advanced manufacturing talent pipeline has grown rapidly in Arizona after the arrival of TSMC, as the first fab began production in 2025.
“Since then, we’ve seen battery companies and other manufacturers come in here, and it’s really exploded,” says Oleg Shvets, the OEO’s Communications and workforce program manager. “This program gives people an opportunity, not only to go into a specific industry, but also to expand their own skills within these industries.”
Shvets believes that the versatility, in terms of future career opportunities, is a strength of the initiative. The skills that students will obtain can be easily translated between the various subsets in the advanced manufacturing industry, whether it be batteries, semiconductors or robotics.
READ MORE: TSMC Arizona: A look inside the $165 billion site
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In addition to the versatility of the skills learned, the prospective students can be anyone. “The curriculum is supported for everyone. You could be someone coming out of high school, you could be looking to change careers. It also adds a lot of flexibility,” Foote says. “The curriculum is front loaded, so you can get hired in as little as two weeks. And, all of the curriculum is stackable credentialing, so even after getting a credential for two weeks, you could choose to stay on for two years, and actually get an associate’s degree in applied science.”
With the flexibility that the program provides for students, Foote believes that this initiative can provide opportunities for many Arizonans. “More than 162,000 people are currently employed in advanced manufacturing. We’re expecting that to be well over 200,000 positions in advanced manufacturing by the 2030s,” Foote says.
The OEO believes that ReadyTechGo and the advanced manufacturing industry will play a huge factor in Arizona’s broader economic development in the future. “A part of why companies are coming here is not just because of the talented workforce that exists, but because of the investments we’re making in the workforce for tomorrow, and part of that is programs like ReadyTechGo that ensure that companies have not only the talent that they need, but can support their growth in the future,” Foote says.
Currently, ReadyTechGo is partnered with six community colleges across the state, but Foote adds that the OEO “absolutely” anticipates furthering the expansion of the program to more colleges and universities.
