Samsung Austin Semiconductor tours Taylor High School’s new CTE building

As Taylor Independent School District (ISD) puts the final touches on its new career and technical education (CTE) building at Taylor High School, Samsung Austin Semiconductor recently received a special tour of the facility ahead of its official opening in May.

In November 2023, Samsung Austin Semiconductor donated $1 million to Taylor ISD to help fund equipment and labs for the school's new Electronics Technology program, a program designed to grow the talent pipeline for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. 

By partnering with Temple College and Texas State Technical College (TSTC), the program’s curriculum is designed to provide students hands-on learning with a strong foundation in electromechanical systems, with plans to expand into manufacturing as the program grows.

“We've actually built all of these programs as Associate of Applied Science, but we're creating it with university in mind so students can still get a bachelor's degree if that's what they want to do,” DeDe Griffith, vice president of Workforce Development at Temple College, said. Griffith explained with an Associate of Science, students will be able to transfer credits to any public university in Texas.

"Samsung Austin Semiconductor is very pleased to strongly support Taylor ISD’s efforts in implementing the Regional Program of Study in Electronics Technology as part of their programming, which is a good complement to our industry,” Kwee Lan Teo, head of workforce development at Samsung Austin Semiconductor, said. 

The tour highlighted the state-of-the-art equipment purchased with Samsung Austin Semiconductor’s investment, including centrifugal pump training machines, 3D printers, robotics, AC/DC training systems, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), CNC machines and more.

“It’s really a rich experience. Some students will get into this and decide they want to be an electrician, some might want to be a millwright and go into rotating pumps and turbines. Another may want to be a CAD designer. This particular program is really an opportunity for them to sample all of these industrial fields, but then have a general understanding so that they can go to work in industrial maintenance,” Griffith added.

While the new workshop isn’t ready for students, there are 18 students in the program this semester and a full cohort is expected this fall.

“It opens up the opportunities for our students, opens up their eyes to what their possibilities could be. I want to thank Samsung for their partnership,” Taylor HS principal Matt Wamble said.

Taylor ISD school board member, Marco Ortiz, echoed the same sentiment, “There are students out there that are going to want to pursue a four-year degree, and they have that opportunity, they also have an opportunity to go into the workforce.”

CTE Pathways

While the Electronics Technology program was a focal point, the tour also included a visit to the welding workshop, culinary kitchen and health science labs—highlighting the breadth of CTE offerings available to students.

Scott Bishop teaches welding at the school and with the new workshop space, Bishop says they can accommodate more students in their four-year program. 

“As sophomores, they get into Welding One where they can start earning welding certifications. Their junior and senior year, we do dual credit with TSTC where they're earning college credit hours,” Bishop said. “By the time they graduate, they've had the opportunity to earn welding certifications for three years and earn up to 14 hours of college credit hours.”

Audry Organ, a junior at Taylor High, has been in the welding program since her freshman year and is excited to create and learn in the new space. When Organ started in the welding program, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to stick with it.

“Starting out in welding, I was not very good at it,” Organ said. “I actually considered giving up a couple of times, but I'm glad that I was persistent and kept pushing through because I feel like I've grown as a person. I believe programs like this are the backbone of society. If you don't have your welders or your construction people, you can't have stuff like this built because this is the backbone of it.”

The welding program is adding robotic welding by the end of this year thanks to an investment from Temple College. 
 

Samsung’s Investment in Taylor ISD

Since Samsung Austin Semiconductor announced it was expanding in Taylor in 2021, it has been a dedicated partner with Taylor ISD through grants, donations, annual summer internship program and externships.

2022

• Samsung Austin Semiconductor donates $250,000 to Taylor ISD
• Samsung Austin Semiconductor welcomes first class of Taylor ISD interns
• Employees volunteer with Taylor ISD students, encourage STEM learning

2023

• Taylor ISD teachers participate in teacher externship program
• Supplies, funds donated to Taylor ISD Stuff the Bus
• Samsung Austin Semiconductor invests $1 million to bolster CTE program at Taylor ISD

2024

• Taylor ISD teachers participate in externship program, including CTE teacher
• Taylor ISD night at Round Rock Express
• Third Taylor ISD intern cohort wraps up summer internship