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Phoenix lays out workforce strategy to fill health-care and semiconductor jobs; partnerships and apprenticeships expand
Summary
City staff and partners briefed the subcommittee on Phoenix’s workforce system, including apprenticeship and upskilling programs, mobile career units, WestMEC expansion, TechSmart and ASU Helios data tools, and a projection of 25,000 semiconductor-related jobs by 2030.
City staff and workforce partners presented Part 5 of the Phoenix economic series on June 10, describing ongoing efforts to expand training pathways for health care, advanced manufacturing and semiconductor jobs.
Deputy community and economic development director Lucetta Hogans said Phoenix’s labor market is tight (around 3.8% unemployment) and that demand has shifted toward health care and software. The city’s Arizona Work job centers served more than 51,000 residents through March, she said, and city-led programs include a paid "Summer Youth Rise" work experience and mobile career units that visited neighborhoods to connect job seekers with employers.
Employer testimony highlighted training outcomes: Matt Rich, director of operations at Nautilus Systems, said company participation in the city’s IWT training and AZ MEP programs helped avoid more than $100,000 in machine-shop costs and yielded more than $45,000 in savings from green-belt projects; he credited training for reducing voluntary turnover below 4%.
Education and partnership updates included WestMEC’s expansion (a new Southeast central campus opening in July), TechSmart’s public–private coordination to scale high-tech career pathways, and the ASU Helios Decision Center’s data-visualization work to align education programs with projected job openings. Pearl Esaw (TechSmart) and Whitney Marsh (ASU Helios) emphasized a shared data infrastructure and convening role to match training to employer demand; Marsh said the center is analyzing semiconductor occupations that could require roughly 25,000 new workers by 2030.
Officials described four cohorts of apprenticeships supported by the Semi Foundation and employer partners and noted 44 apprentices in progress in current cohorts. Staff asked the subcommittee for continued policy support and urged coordination for future grant applications.
Councilmembers praised the partnerships, asked about scaling capacity (noting wait lists at WestMEC), and urged continued work to expand CTE access across neighborhoods. City staff said they will return in the fall to continue the series and to present follow-up recommendations.
