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Portland Community College (PCC) has opened a cleanroom at its Willow Creek Opportunity Center in Hillsboro, Oregon, to enhance its microelectronics program. The 1,152-square-foot facility, launched in September, includes vacuum training systems from Intel and an automated manufacturing system from Festo.

Students will practice semiconductor manufacturing skills and gain hands-on experience with digital twins and automated systems. PCC aims to integrate cleanroom lessons into existing courses, responding to the anticipated growth of the U.S. semiconductor sector, which could add 115,000 jobs by 2030. PCC has a longstanding partnership with Intel, continuing workforce training efforts.