The Secretary of State Marco Rubio called this Thursday for a commitment that transcends political cycles while participating in the official launch of Foundry School, the national training program for the manufacturing workforce promoted by the Trump administration.
"This must be an effort that goes beyond the next two years. It has to last a generation," Rubio stated in remarks released by the Department of State.
The presentation of Foundry School took place at the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace in Washington. It was led by Vice President JD Vance and brought together representatives from the private sector, academia, and the federal government to discuss the White House's reindustrialization agenda.
The event was streamed live and also featured the presence of the House Majority Leader, Steve Scalise, and Ohio Senator, Bernie Moreno.
Foundry School is a project within the framework of Pax Silica, the flagship multilateral initiative of the State Department to ensure global supply chains in critical technologies.
The program originated from a partnership with Stanford University, whose team developed the advanced manufacturing curriculum. It will be offered over 17 sessions across eight university campuses: Stanford, Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Ohio State, Penn State, the universities of Cincinnati and Kansas, and Vanderbilt.
Rubio emphasized that Vance's presence at the event was not a symbolic gesture, but rather a sign of continuity. "Multiple U.S. administrations will have to make this a priority, which is why it is so important for them to see evidence that at the highest levels of our government, now and in the future, there is that commitment."
The program addresses a projected gap of 3.8 million skilled workers that American manufacturers will need by 2033, according to estimates from the Department of State.
The event also involved major technology and industrial corporations with concrete commitments.
Meta presented its America's Workforce Academy, a $115 million initiative that has already graduated more than 200 people in Ohio.
Micron operates learning programs in Virginia and Idaho with a total investment of $250 billion in manufacturing and research on U.S. soil.
AMD committed $150 million to education in artificial intelligence, while ASML allocated between $35 and $40 million to a training center in Phoenix that trains 1,500 people each year.
Google, for its part, announced an investment of $1 billion in education and a $50 million skills upgrade program in 20 states.
The Foundry School was first announced at the Second Pax Silica Summit, held on June 25, 2026, and represents the human capital training component of a broader strategy that includes the acquisition of 10% of Intel by the federal government and the Stargate project with a budget of $500 billion for artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Each session of the program will feature founders and CEOs from advanced manufacturing companies hailing from the United States, South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and India, reflecting the multilateral approach of Pax Silica, which as of June 2026 had already garnered 24 signatory countries.
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