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Applied Materials’ $849,800 ETP critical proposal approved; company outlines apprenticeship pipeline
Summary
Applied Materials secured an $849,800 critical ETP award to train 607 workers at new Silicon Valley facilities. Company representatives described apprenticeships — not unpaid internships — as a core workforce pipeline aligned with CHIPS Act workforce goals.
Applied Materials told the Employment Training Panel it is expanding workforce development in Silicon Valley and won panel approval for a critical proposal (ET25‑0225) for $849,800 to train 607 incumbent workers.
Lillian Chu, an HR operations leader at Applied Materials, said the company is investing heavily in a new research and development center and described the ETP award as one component of a broader talent strategy. "We are investing $4,000,000,000 in a state of the art research and development center," Chu said, adding that the company will use apprenticeships, university recruiting and ETP‑supported incumbent training to build talent.
Panel members pressed Applied Materials on how federal CHIPS Act funding and ETP support will interact. Philip Herrera, who described his role supporting apprenticeship strategy, said the company has worked with state agencies to register new apprenticeship occupations and to create apprenticeship cohorts distinct from ETP enrollments: "There was a statement in a press release that… I think there was miswording. It should have been apprenticeships," Herrera said, adding that apprenticeships are being developed in partnership with DAS and community colleges.
Staff and company representatives said apprenticeships will be treated as separate but complementary to ETP‑funded incumbent training, with apprenticeships focused on pipeline creation and ETP on training incumbent workers. The panel approved the critical proposal by roll call.
Next steps: staff and Applied Materials will coordinate apprenticeship registration and public‑private partnerships and provide follow‑up reporting to the panel on implementation milestones and cohort registrations.
