Case Study: Micron Technology

In 2022, as the landmark CHIPS and Science Act worked its way through Congress, Micron executives huddled at company headquarters in Boise, Idaho to consider the potential impact of the law and its semiconductor chip manufacturing incentives. The team quickly determined that one immediate priority was a plan to recruit and train more entry-level skilled workers for their U.S. semiconductor manufacturing facilities (“fabs”). Soon after, they launched the Micron Registered Apprenticeship Program as a structured pathway to train entry-level technicians for the company’s Idaho and Virginia fabs.

Micron’s choice to create its own program reflected a conscious decision to focus primarily on a skills-based hiring system that values on-the-job experience, as opposed to a credentials-based hiring system that places a higher value on academic or industry credentials. For this reason, starting an in-house apprentice program seemed like a natural fit. Pursuing U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recognition for its program helped validate the program for potential participants and best position them to benefit from any eligible assistance and/or grant programs. To ensure compliance with all program requirements, Micron chose to partner with an experienced external organization as their “sponsor,” for help with both designing the program and registering it with the DOL. In Idaho, Micron chose the Idaho Manufacturing Alliance as its sponsor, and in Virginia, the National Institute for Innovation and Career Advancement.

Like other apprenticeships, Micron’s program uses an “earn and learn” model. Apprentices are hired as employees and receive paid, hands-on training at Micron’s facilities under the supervision of an employee mentor while also completing formal technical instruction with an external accredited educational partner. In Idaho, that institution is the College of Western Idaho. In Virginia, it’s Northern Virginia Community College. This approach ensures participants gain practical experience and academic credentials simultaneously, preparing them not just for a single job, but for a high-demand career in the semiconductor industry. At the end of the program, participants earn a U.S. DOL-recognized journeyman certification as an Industrial Manufacturing Technician or Nanotechnology Engineering Technician. And like all registered apprenticeship programs, participants are paid according to a wage schedule that ensures pay increases throughout the life of the program as apprentices gain skills and productivity.

Program Structure

The program requires no prior work experience or education beyond a high school degree or GED. Micron recruits directly at local area high schools and markets the program to older individuals who lack industry work experience or a college degree but are looking for a career change. Past program participants have included bartenders and grocery store workers.

Apprentices are hired as full-time employees with a full benefits package and a starting wage of approximately $20 per hour in Idaho and $23 per hour in Virginia. Participants work a minimum of 32 hours per week with flexibility to design a part-time school instruction schedule that fits their work and home schedules. Time spent in school-based instruction is paid up to a maximum of 15 hours per week. Micron also pays 100% of the cost of education for program participants. To complete the apprentice program, participants must complete 2,746 hours of on-the-job training and 216 hours of school-based instruction. 

With this flexibility, participants typically complete the program in two years but can complete it in as few as 18 months or as many as 36 months. Upon successful completion, apprentices are promoted to full-time technicians at an average wage of $29 to $30 per hour in Idaho and $31 to $32 per hour in Virginia (approximately $60,000 per year). The positions tend to have substantial job security and opportunities for long-term career advancement; 80% of apprentices who completed the program in its first three years still work at Micron. But the program does not require apprentices to “pay back” a certain number of hours or work for a certain amount of time after completing the program. An apprentice who completes the program and for some reason wishes to accept an outside employment offer can immediately do so without any financial repercussions.

Olivia Zierenberg graduated from a local high school in 2022 and joined Micron in April 2023 as part of the first cohort of apprentices. With a passion for working on cars in her free time, she became interested in studying mechatronics at the College of Western Idaho. Zierenberg trained as a process technician apprentice and was promoted to a full-time technician role in the fall of 2025 after successfully completing the program. She chose the apprenticeship to gain an early start in her career while continuing her education. The opportunity provided her with hands-on industry experience as a young professional and strengthened her confidence that she is on the right career path. Now that she has completed the program, Zierenberg is focused on expanding her technical knowledge in her role as a process technician while finishing her bachelor’s degree at Boise State University. She aspires to take on additional responsibilities and explore future leadership opportunities within Micron.

“My life completely changed when I enrolled in Micron’s Registered Apprenticeship program,” says Zierenberg. “It enabled me to gain practical experience, boost my confidence, and enter my first professional setting where learning and working went hand in hand.”

Program Scale

The program’s inaugural 2023 cohort had ten apprentices. Subsequent cohorts have varied between one- and two-dozen apprentices, fluctuating based on Micron’s anticipated needs. As of early 2026, Micron had hired nearly 100 apprentices across seven cohorts and recently hired its fourth cohort in Virginia and fifth in Idaho. With the CHIPS Act and the AI boom fueling a boost in demand for domestic semiconductor manufacturing, Micron expects to hire approximately 1,700 technicians in Idaho over the next decade, with this apprenticeship program a key part of the recruiting strategy the company will use to find those technicians. The program is poised for expansion, which is fortunate, considering the company’s New York project.

In January 2026, Micron officially broke ground on construction of the largest-ever semiconductor facility in the United States, their new $100 billion “superfab” project in upstate New York. Micron expects chip production at the first New York fab to commence in 2030, with production at additional fabs starting throughout the decade. Overall, Micron projects the New York project will create 9,000 direct new jobs, split nearly evenly between engineers and technicians. And according to Melanie Lewis, director of workforce strategies at Micron, the company’s long-term goal is to use the apprenticeship program for 20% of new technician hires, which will require a New York program capable of adding 50 new apprentices annually, or nearly a thousand over the span of the 20-year project.

Key Lessons

• Federal Funding for Registered Apprenticeships: In April 2025, President Trump signed an executive order setting a goal of expanding the apprenticeship program to over one million active apprentices. Since then, the DOL has released a series of grants that are open for program participants. Melanie Lewis notes this public relations push has helped, while also noting how  additional financial incentives and support are critical. Stipends and scholarship funds play an important role in supporting individuals enrolled in apprenticeship programs and encouraging program completion. Micron is working to build a structured support model to ensure apprentices with demonstrated need have access to assistance and is looking into a recently announced DOL grant opportunity, which would offer $3,500 for each new apprentice hired.
• Avoiding Onerous Program Requirements: Apprenticeship programs can operate directly under DOL rules or state-level complements. In Idaho, apprenticeship programs are run by the U.S. DOL. In Virginia and New York, the programs are run by the state.  This is important because, upon request, the U.S. DOL has approved a 2:1 mentor-to-apprentice ratio while New York requires 1:1. That ratio may significantly slow hiring and place limitations on program enrollment.
• Availability of Community or Technical College Courses: Finding available community or technical college programs and students other than Micron apprentice students to populate the required classes has been an issue. Broader adoption of standardized curriculum, participation by other employers, or more general support for community and technical colleges might help alleviate this pressure point and enable further scaling.ollege programs and students other than Micron apprentice students to populate the required classes has been an issue. Broader adoption of standardized curriculum, participation by other employers, or more general support for community and technical colleges might help alleviate this pressure point.