GAINESVILLE, Fla., Sept. 15, 2026 — The Florida Semiconductor Institute (FSI) today announced the release of “The Florida Playbook: How a State Can Build a Semiconductor Workforce System,” a report translating Florida’s approach to semiconductor workforce development into a framework other states can adapt.
The report arrives as the United States continues efforts to onshore semiconductor manufacturing following supply chain disruptions exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic and rising geopolitical tensions. Semiconductors underpin nearly every part of modern life, from smartphones to defense systems, making domestic manufacturing capacity a matter of national security and economic competitiveness.
Florida has invested more than $8 billion in workforce education, aligning legislative action, funding streams and public-private partnerships to build a talent pipeline spanning K-12 awareness programs through university research. Central to the effort are the state’s REACH Act and REACH 2.0 Act, which coordinate the Governor’s Office, CareerSource Florida, the Florida Department of Education and FloridaCommerce around a shared goal: making Florida the No. 1 state for workforce education by 2030.
The report points to Central Florida’s NeoCity as a case study: a 500-acre innovation district in Osceola County anchored by SkyWater Technology‘s 200-millimeter wafer fabrication facility, an advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration facility, imec and the National Science Foundation-backed Florida Semiconductor Engine, which coordinates workforce and industry partners across a 23-county region along the I-4 corridor.
“Florida’s approach shows that a resilient semiconductor workforce isn’t built by one company or one region,” said Jack W. Judy, Ph.D., deputy director of workforce development at FSI. “It’s built by sustained investment and by getting education, industry and government to row in the same direction.”
The playbook outlines a practical checklist for other states, including creating a formal, industry-backed statewide semiconductor workforce strategy, prioritizing long-term investments in career and technical education and building on existing apprenticeship and career-and-technical-education frameworks rather than starting from scratch.
Florida’s model differs from states that compete for a single large employer through sizable upfront incentives. Its semiconductor industry is spread across the state rather than concentrated in one hub, which the report frames as both a coordination challenge and a source of resilience: no single employer’s setback threatens the whole ecosystem.
The full report is available at fsi.institute.ufl.edu/florida-playbook/.
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About the Florida Semiconductor Institute
The Florida Semiconductor Institute (FSI) is the statewide hub for semiconductor research, development, education and workforce initiatives headquartered at the University of Florida. Launched by UF’s Herbert Wertheim College of Engineering, FSI works with industry, government and academic partners across Florida to advance semiconductor technology, grow the state’s semiconductor workforce and support the creation of more than 10,000 new high-wage jobs in Florida. Learn more at fsi.institute.ufl.edu.