Workforce Development for Reshoring American Manufacturing

Tariffs, Talent and Trust All Come into Play

The CHIPS and Science Act represents a bold industrial reinvestment in the United States. But as factories rise, the fundamental question of workforce development still haunts the movement.

Yes, through billions of dollars in incentives, the act promises to bring back semiconductor manufacturing, rebuild domestic supply chains and reduce reliance on fragile international networks. But where will we find the engineers, technicians and systems talent needed to power reshoring?

In my book ReShore, I argue that the success of reshoring isn’t measured by concrete and ribbon-cuttings, but by the development of what I call trusted supply chains. These are supply chains rooted in localized talent, embedded transparency and systems-level resilience. Reshoring is not just a matter of policy or capital expenditure; it is a human systems challenge. We cannot build a 21st-century industrial base on 20th-century workforce assumptions.

Engineering Excellence – But Not at Scale

As an ABET member and Professional Engineer (PE), I have long championed the value of rigorous engineering education and licensure. ABET-accredited programs produce graduates with the technical depth, design ethics and systems mindset that are essential for industrial leadership. PE licensure adds another layer of professional accountability and societal trust.

But today’s reshoring challenges extend beyond design engineering. The manufacturing and logistics systems of the future will depend heavily on automation, not the rote factory work of yore. We need highly skilled teams that include:

• Control systems programmers to manage robotics and AI in manufacturing
• Mechatronics technicians to maintain integrated hardware-software systems
• Semiconductor technicians for cleanroom fabrication and testing
• Cybersecurity specialists to protect physical systems
• Logistics and port automation operators

ABET and PE pathways are a vital part of building this skill development. But they are not sufficient to address the urgent talent demand at scale.

We must supplement engineering degrees with credentialed technicians, accelerated training programs, stackable certifications and partnerships that fuse academia, industry and government in new ways. In other words, we need to expand the skilled workforce pipeline while maintaining quality.

The Investment Gap in Higher Education

According to The Verge, over $29 billion in CHIPS Act funds have been committed to companies like Intel, TSMC and Micron for new semiconductor fabrication facilities. In Texas, the state has allocated nearly $700 million through the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund (TSIF). Major projects include:

• Samsung’s $4.745 billion fab in Taylor
• Texas Instruments’ $1.61 billion expansion in Sherman
• $200 million to Texas A&M for new semiconductor research facilities

These investments represent massive steps forward in national capacity. But they also highlight what’s missing: sustained funding for public universities and workforce development systems.

In contrast, New York has made a more intentional connection between federal investment and academic partnership. Binghamton University is co-leading a $285 million CHIPS-funded Manufacturing USA Institute and received $1 million to upgrade its nanofabrication laboratory. These are models of how academic infrastructure can directly support workforce needs, not just long-term research.

Yet these examples remain the exception. Too many state universities, HBCUs and regional institutions remain outside the reshoring spotlight, despite being the primary engines of STEM talent development.

The Talent Bottleneck Is the Next Supply Chain Crisis

In ReShore, I describe the “Reshoring Trap”: focusing on buildings and incentives while neglecting the human systems required to sustain them.

The data supports this concern. Industry studies show that the U.S. will need an additional 300,000 skilled workers to complete fab projects currently underway, with 60% of those requiring four-year degrees or higher. The remaining 40% will require two-year technical degrees or certifications.

This is not a gap that can be closed by engineering programs alone. It will require:

• Aligning curriculum to real-time industry needs
• Developing pre-apprenticeship and mid-career retraining programs
• Establishing centers of excellence within public universities
• Leveraging CHIPS and IRA funds to support academic consortia

From Framework to Implementation: Tompkins Ventures

At Tompkins Ventures, we help companies, regions and institutions move from strategy to execution. That gives us insight on practical approaches to align infrastructure, supply chains and workforce development systems.

These approaches should include:

• Creating regional workforce hubs around anchor fabs
• Embedding certification bodies within university and community college campuses
• Designing modular, accelerated programs tailored to control systems, robotics and smart logistics
• Partnering with private industry to co-fund talent pipelines

Any reshoring that tries to replicate the manufacturing jobs and factories of the past will fail. Expecting our current workforce to staff the highly technical and automated factories of today is a losing strategy.

We believe reshoring is only sustainable if workforce strategy is embedded into capital investment planning.

What Comes Next in Workforce Development

Reshoring is not just an industrial strategy; it is a national reinvention. But for it to succeed, we must ensure our investment in people matches our investment in machines.

If you are a policymaker, educator, industry leader or economic developer, the time to act is now. I invite you to read ReShore, reflect on the challenges and workforce development models within, and connect with me through Tompkins Ventures.

Together, we can design and build the workforce that will power America’s next industrial era.

Related Reading

• ReGlobalization Requires Dynamic Supply Chains
• Static Contingency Plans Will Fail in a Dynamic Environment
• ReGlobalization – Redefining Global Supply Chains