UCLA has joined the NNME Southwest consortium, a new initiative aimed at enhancing the semiconductor and microelectronics workforce across five states: Arizona, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Southern California. Co-led by the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and the California NanoSystems Institute, this consortium includes 47 partners and focuses on developing industry-aligned education and hands-on training for community college students. C.K. Ken Yang, a professor at UCLA, will oversee the coordination of curriculum and training. The program will utilize the UCLA Nanofabrication Laboratory to provide immersive training in semiconductor manufacturing processes. UCLA aims to support 14 training cohorts annually, offering around 140–170 training opportunities each year. This initiative addresses the pressing workforce challenges in Southern California, which hosts a significant microelectronics ecosystem with major companies like Boeing and Qualcomm relying on advanced semiconductor technologies. The NNME initiative is supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Department of Commerce.