Ask5 with Daniel Cochran of Vet S.T.E.P. (Semiconductor Training and Experience Program)

Join us for a career conversation with the coordinator of Vet S.T.E.P. (Semiconductor Training and Experience Program), a program dedicated to providing veterans with specialized training and hands-on experience in the semiconductor industry. Learn about the training curriculum, career opportunities, and success stories from past participants. This event is perfect for veterans seeking new career paths, employers looking for skilled professionals, and anyone interested in high-tech careers. Don't miss the chance to ask questions and gain insights into this valuable program.

Bio for Dan Cochran:

My formal title is “Program Manager for Workforce Development.”  I have been in this role at NY-CREATES since January.

 

I enlisted in the Navy in the fall after high school and I served from 1989-1994 in a helicopter squadron as an in-flight electrician and plane captain, our primary mission was vertical replenishment and our secondary was search and rescue.

My military service eventually led me into the semiconductor industry where I have worked since 2000.

 

I hold 2 associate degrees, a bachelor's degree, and soon a Master of Business Administration.

I have 2 grown children Skylar, a special education teacher at a charter school in Round Rock, TX, and Alexavier an installation technician for an internet provider in Austin, TX.

 

I approach my job as helping veterans realize they possess the skills they need already, I help them by introducing the new terminology and business culture. I struggled to adapt to civilian life, and I am glad there are programs like the Army’s Career Skills Program and the Department of Defense’s (DOD) SkillBridge Program that help transitioning veterans acclimate to the civilian workforce. With the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, NY will be a major player in the semiconductor industry for years to come. We need to train technicians to fill these roles. The military is a great talent pool to source for these roles. “Tinkerers wanted”

 

The semiconductor industry is diverse, we have brilliant scientists, engineers, technicians, and operators from around the world. If you talk with them, you can learn a lot about different cultures and viewpoints. I was able to start as an equipment technician, then started at the Albany NanoTech Complex as a cleanroom operator, working my way up to process technician, senior process technician, process integration engineer, staff engineer, and finally program manager. If I can succeed in this industry, so can you.

 

When not working, I can be seen off-roading with my orange camouflaged truck “glamping”, I am interested in alternative energies, educating our youth, and conservation.