On May 25, Pedro Gonzalez, the global university relations manager from GLOBALFOUNDRIES, spoke with more than 175 Questar III career tech students, eager to hear what he had to say.
With video aids, Gonzalez began his presentation at the Rensselaer Educational Center in Troy with an overview of GLOBALFOUNDRIES, its manufacture of silicon chips used in products from cell phones to cars, and its plans.
He explained that as a startup company, they first needed to hire people with strong experience from all over the world, but now they hope to hire as much as 80% of their workforce locally.
To date, GLOBALFOUNDRIES has hired more than 300 people and they expect to need an additional 900, Gonzalez said, adding that the indirect spinoff may lead to more than 5,000 new jobs.
“Today we have companies in Germany and Singapore, but our plant in Malta will be the most advanced chip fab in the world, helping to bring manufacturing back to North America.”
Most students asked questions about jobs and skills needed at his company.
“We don’t just need engineers,” he said. “We like people from automotive technologies because their skills apply to what we do. We also need people from the fields of security, catering, and HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning). We like those backgrounds and will provide additional training as needed.”
Gonzalez noted that a high school diploma was sufficient for jobs such as a water fab operator and a guard, while other positions required an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. He also emphasized that attention to detail and the stamina for 12 hour shifts were other qualities they looked for.
Hoosic Valley High School senior Ameral Adhemar, an Academy of Information Technology student, said, “Now I know that when I go to college, I will take courses on coding and network administration because those are what high tech companies need.”
Culinary Arts student Amber Vredenburg from Hoosic Valley High School asked how GLOBALFOUNDRIES plans to give back to the community. He replied by initiating scholarships and internships for local youth. “We’d like to bridge a student’s last year of HVAC at Hudson Valley Community College and his first year at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.”
Pedro Gonzalez, Pam Mertz, Anthony DeFazio, Jessica Shahda
Following his presentation, Gonzalez commented, “It’s always a pleasure to talk to young students so they are aware of what’s out there and how it affects their lives and career interests.”
Pamela Mertz, Questar III’s career development facilitator, who helped bring GLOBALFOUNDRIES to the center, stated “We appreciate GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ interest in our students. It truly is a case of a high tech company connecting with workers of the future. Our students are seriously committed to specific career fields as indicated in their questions of Mr. Gonzalez and in their plans for further training to realize their goals.
