Governor Kathy Hochul announced the launch of the Semiconductor Manufacturing Workforce Training Incentive Program, a new Empire State Development-administered tax credit designed to help employers pay for training employees for semiconductor and related manufacturing jobs in New York State.
The program will offset up to 75% of eligible training costs — including wages paid during training, curriculum development, instructor costs and qualifying wraparound services — up to $25,000 per employee. Eligible semiconductor manufacturers may receive up to $5 million in credits over the life of the program; other eligible manufacturing businesses may receive up to $1 million.
Who and what is eligible
Per the announcement, eligible training can be delivered by employers, third-party providers, or New York State Registered Apprenticeship Programs. To qualify, businesses must operate in New York State as eligible semiconductor manufacturing or other eligible manufacturing businesses, submit an approved workforce training plan before training begins, and demonstrate compliance with worker protection and environmental rules. Empire State Development (ESD) is accepting applications.
Statewide semiconductor strategy and workforce context
The new credit is part of a broader push by the Hochul administration to grow a domestic semiconductor ecosystem in New York. The release cites the $200 million ON-RAMP initiative to establish four advanced manufacturing workforce centers across Upstate New York — including a flagship ON-RAMP facility on the Southside of Syracuse — and notes recent construction milestones at Micron’s Central New York semiconductor campus.
The administration said the program responds to industry forecasts of a nationwide shortfall of skilled semiconductor manufacturing workers and aims to create pathways to high-paying manufacturing careers; the announcement stressed that many semiconductor manufacturing roles do not require a four-year degree.
What’s next
Empire State Development is accepting applications for the incentive program. The announcement outlines eligibility categories and maximum credit amounts but does not include application links, firm start or end dates, or funding caps beyond per-business maximums in the release.
Reporting here is based on the Governor’s office press release. Local businesses, training providers and workforce centers in Western New York may want to review ESD materials to determine whether they qualify and how the credit could support employer-led training efforts.
