Submission

introduction

title

Louisiana First Solar Force

short description

This project will support a semiconductor/PV training center on the UL Lafayette campus focused on First Solar’s CdTe thin film process.

Team

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Team Name

Louisiana First Solar Force

Lead Organization Name

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Short description of planned workforce training initiative

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette (UL Lafayette) proposes to partner with First Solar (FS) and Louisiana Economic Development (LED) to establish a semiconductor technical training center within the University’s research park focused on First Solar’s advanced thin film process. This initiative is intended to leverage the extensive resources and existing training expertise of the University’s College of Engineering and several University institutes (Institute for Materials Research and Innovation, Energy Institute of Louisiana) to foster a dynamic training environment for First Solar module manufacturing. The Goal of this project is therefore to create a sustainable competency development system aiming to provide a continuous talent pipeline to serve as the platform for growth of the high-tech Semiconductor and Photovoltaic industry and its supporting ecosystem in Louisiana, thus ensuring that the First Solar New Iberia factory is only the beginning of PV/Semiconductor job growth in Acadiana. In support of this goal, project objectives include to 1) accelerate workforce readiness and develop the technical team for the First Solar New Iberia factory by Q4, 2025, and 2) to sustain a dynamic and flexible program and curricula capable of adjusting to the evolving needs of the industry.

Partner Organization Information

Partner Organization #1 Name (Public)

First Solar, Inc.

Partner Organization #2 Name (Public)

LED FastStart