US launches Foundry School to build advanced manufacturing workforce
The programme will train entrepreneurs, engineers, technicians, and industrial leaders through a 17-session advanced manufacturing curriculum.
The US launched the Foundry School on 3 September 2026 as a training programme for entrepreneurs, engineers, technicians, and industrial leaders to support the rebuilding of US manufacturing. Vice President J.D. Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the programme at an event hosted by Under Secretary for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.
Foundry School is being developed with Stanford University and seven other universities: Arizona State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, The Ohio State University, The Pennsylvania State University, the University of Kansas, Vanderbilt University, and Washington University in St. Louis. The programme will run 17 sessions across the eight campuses, with each session taught by founders and CEOs from advanced manufacturing enterprises in the United States and Pax Silica economies, including South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and India.
The curriculum will be delivered in two phases. Seven regional sessions beginning in September 2026 will cover modern factory design, materials and supply chains, assembly-line engineering, plant economics, regulation and permitting, and workforce development at scale. A ten-session core programme at Stanford University beginning in January 2027 will cover advanced manufacturing capabilities including precision tooling, industrial automation, quality systems, new product introduction, digital manufacturing, capital equipment, energy, global site selection, and defence production.
Foundry School is a flagship initiative of Pax Silica, the Trump administration’s economic security partnership connecting governments, industry, and universities around critical supply chains and industrial capabilities underpinning the AI economy. The US Department of State estimates that American manufacturers will need 3.8 million skilled workers by 2033 across sectors including semiconductors, defence, and energy. The programme is intended to help close gaps in design and manufacturing capacity and connect students and workers directly with companies building and operating advanced manufacturing facilities.
Why does it matter?
Advanced manufacturing requires specialised technical and industrial skills as investment in areas such as semiconductors, energy, and defence expands. Bringing universities and industry leaders into a common training programme can connect workforce development with the practical requirements of manufacturing enterprises.
The programme also links skills development with industrial and economic security priorities. Its focus on both foundational and advanced manufacturing capabilities provides training across different stages of the manufacturing process, from factory design and supply chains to automation, digital manufacturing, and production.
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