Microelectronics Workforce Credentialing

Strengthening the Semiconductor Workforce

The U.S. semiconductor industry faces a critical talent shortage, with an estimated gap of 59,000 to 146,000 skilled workers by 2029 intensified by a wave of retirements.¹² Despite significant CHIPS Act investments to expand workforce training, fragmented credentialing systems restrict labor mobility and create administrative burdens, while raising concerns over worker data control and intellectual property (IP) protection, both vital to industry competitiveness.³

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PCN: A Privacy-Preserving Credentialing Infrastructure

The Provenance Chain™ Network provides an interoperable, secure digital framework that bridges education, workforce, and industry systems via its Commercial Trust™ Protocol. PCN empowers:

Worker control of portable, verifiable credentials supporting lifelong learning and enhanced labor mobility.

Immutable, tokenized certifications that reduce redundancy and verify training outcomes with high reliability.

Data sovereignty and IP protection through federated governance and selective disclosure of sensitive information.

AI-assisted validation with human review to maintain alignment with industry standards while safeguarding privacy.

This framework supports emerging Learning and Employment Records (LERs) models, helping build a trusted, scalable semiconductor labor market credentialing system.⁴

The TREAD Model: Real-World Data Meets Workforce Training

Through the Training with Real-world Evidence and Data (TREAD) initiative, PCN enables incorporation of authentic manufacturing process data into workforce education, without risking proprietary IP. By uniting employers, educators, and regulators, TREAD:

Embeds live industrial data for hands-on learning aligned to real outcomes.

Issues verifiable credentials directly tied to demonstrated skills and training completion.

Tracks workforce development progress securely across institutional and regional boundaries.

This initiative advances NSF, NSTC, and NNME workforce goals and strengthens the semiconductor talent pipeline with trusted digital infrastructure.

Advancing Labor Relations and Market Efficiency

Digital credentials have been shown to improve hiring transparency, reduce fraud, and increase employability:

96% of credential earners report tangible value

78% say credentials boost job prospects.⁵

94% of issuers experience improved verification efficiency and reduced fraud.⁵

6% rise in new employment correlated with streamlined credential verification

8% growth in credential-aligned jobs⁶ correlated with streamlined credential verification

PCN’s approach balances worker data rights with employer needs for IP-safe talent, enabling labor market efficiency and sustaining U.S. semiconductor competitiveness.

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The Provenance Chain™ Network underpins a trusted digital economy for people, parts, and processes. Its federated architecture—built on cryptographic trust and selective data sharing—creates the foundation for workforce ecosystems where:

Institutions can verify learning outcomes and compliance without exposing proprietary systems.

Employers can confirm workforce readiness through verified, IP-secure data exchange.

Workers can carry authenticated credentials across borders, industries, and life stages.

By embedding trust at the data layer, PCN delivers the infrastructure for the next generation of workforce innovation, ensuring that U.S. semiconductor growth is secure, efficient, and human-centered.