Arizona Western College served as a representative for Arizona across seas recently.
On an invitation from the Arizona Commerce Authority, AWC Entrepreneurial College CEO and Vice President of Workforce and Healthcare Programs Dr. Reetika Dhawan partook in a trade mission to Taiwan.
City of Yuma Mayor Douglas Nicholls and Yuma County District 2 Supervisor Jonathan Lines joined Dhawan in attending SEMICON Taiwan 2025 as representatives of the Arizona delegation.
SEMICON Taiwan is one of the world's largest semiconductor trade shows, offering the delegates plenty of opportunities to show what Yuma has to offer.
“Our visit to [Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company] underscored how technical excellence and workforce readiness go hand-in-hand,” Dhawan said. “Taiwan’s model of aligning industry, academia, and government to prepare a semiconductor-ready workforce resonates deeply with Arizona’s efforts to scale STEM education, apprenticeships, and microcredentials to meet industry demand. Arizona is building similar pathways to ensure talent development keeps pace with innovation.”
According to AWC's press release, the Yuma delegates emphasized the importance of cross-border collaboration. By combining Taiwan's manufacturing excellence, Japan's strategic innovation agenda and Arizona's expanding semiconductor ecosystem, they hope to accelerate research and design, strengthen global supply chains, and create opportunities for underserved communities across the U.S.-Mexico border region.
Speaking on AWC's behalf, Dhawan highlighted the workforce pipeline the college has created. She presented the following college initiatives:
- AWC's 12-week Fast Track Semiconductor Technician Bootcamp
- Stackable micro-credentials in mechatronics, contamination control, water handling, vacuum systems, and quality control
- AWC's simulation-driven, agile training model that prepares workers for fabrication environments without the need for expensive cleanrooms.
Dhawan also presented on initiatives in training students in frontier technologies, including:
- Optoelectronic integrated circuits (OEICs)
- Heterogeneous integration standards, such as UCIe
- Quantum computing
“AWC is an economic development leader not only in our region but the larger state of Arizona,” said AWC President Dr. Daniel Corr. “When Dr. Dhawan was invited to join this trade mission to represent all that Arizona could offer potential new partners, she immediately sought to include her peers in leadership with various municipalities. These activities are force multipliers for the type of economic development and thriving communities we're trying to create, together. I could not be more proud of Dr. Dhawan's collaborative spirit and her vision.”
The college's release notes that this engagement also served as an opportunity for it to affirm its role as an innovative, globally-connected community college as well as contribute to international cooperation in growing the semiconductor industry in the long-term.
This reporting is supported by a grant from the Arizona Local News Foundation.
