Vance and Rubio announced the creation of a training program for the US’ engineering and technical talent – dubbed 'Foundry School'.

Updated on: Sep 4, 2026, 21:09:08 IST

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On Thursday, US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the creation of a new training program for America’s engineering and technical talent – dubbed “Foundry School” – as part of a larger attempt to rebuild domestic manufacturing.

Founders and CEOs from India, along with talent from other partner nations like Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, will participate in the program as teachers and mentors. The initiative will be fostered within the ambit of the advanced technology Pax Silica partnership, of which India is already a member country.

“President Trump’s reindustrialization agenda has already brought trillions of dollars in industrial investment to American soil. Foundry School will focus on turning that investment into jobs. American manufacturers will need an estimated 3.8 million skilled workers by 2033 in semiconductors, defense, energy, and beyond. The State Department, working with Congress, plans to support the participation of Pax Silica economies in Foundry School and is working with Stanford University to develop the curriculum for U.S. and foreign participants,” the State Department said in its announcement of the initiative.

8 US universities will serve as the campuses for Foundry School, with participants for the program drawn from both the US and Pax Silica countries. Sessions will begin in September 2026 in seven universities across America focusing on modern factory design, materials and supply chains, regulations, workforce development and assembly line engineering.

This will be followed by a program beginning in January next year hosted by Stanford which will focus on advanced manufacturing, precision tooling, industrial automation, energy and defence production, among other things.

The US State Department launched Pax Silica in December 2025 as a multi-nation initiative which aims to secure technology and supply chain security in semiconductors, AI infrastructure, critical minerals and advanced manufacturing. India was an early member, alongside Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Israel, the Netherlands, the UAE and the United Kingdom also joined the initiative. Indian representatives also participated in the Pax Silica summit held in Washington DC in June this year.

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