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Pax Silica initiative

Foundry School

Building the workforce behind the manufacturing comeback.

Foundry School is a training program for entrepreneurs, engineers, technicians, and industrial leaders to rebuild American manufacturing, with a curriculum that institutions across Pax Silica economies can adopt.

Cited context

3.8 million
Skilled workers American manufacturers will need by 2033Cited from Trump Administration Launches Foundry School to Build the Workforce Behind America's Manufacturing Comeback, September 3, 2026
8 universities
Stanford and seven partner campusesCited from Trump Administration Launches Foundry School to Build the Workforce Behind America's Manufacturing Comeback, September 3, 2026
17 sessions
Each taught by founders and CEOsCited from Trump Administration Launches Foundry School to Build the Workforce Behind America's Manufacturing Comeback, September 3, 2026

Course outline

Seven regional sessions begin in September 2026. A ten session core program hosted by Stanford begins in January 2027.

  1. Session 1 · September 2026

    Arizona State University

    Fundamentals: modern factory design, materials and supply chains, assembly-line engineering, plant economics, regulation and permitting, workforce development at scale.

  2. Session 2 · October 2026

    Georgia Institute of Technology

    Fundamentals: modern factory design, materials and supply chains, assembly-line engineering, plant economics, regulation and permitting, workforce development at scale.

  3. Session 3 · November 2026

    The Ohio State University

    Fundamentals: modern factory design, materials and supply chains, assembly-line engineering, plant economics, regulation and permitting, workforce development at scale.

  4. Session 4 · December 2026

    The Pennsylvania State University

    Fundamentals: modern factory design, materials and supply chains, assembly-line engineering, plant economics, regulation and permitting, workforce development at scale.

  5. Session 5 · January 2027

    University of Kansas

    Fundamentals: modern factory design, materials and supply chains, assembly-line engineering, plant economics, regulation and permitting, workforce development at scale.

  6. Session 6 · February 2027

    Vanderbilt University

    Fundamentals: modern factory design, materials and supply chains, assembly-line engineering, plant economics, regulation and permitting, workforce development at scale.

  7. Session 7 · March 2027

    Washington University in St. Louis

    Fundamentals: modern factory design, materials and supply chains, assembly-line engineering, plant economics, regulation and permitting, workforce development at scale.

Outline. The full syllabus will be published here.

University partners

Stanford University leads the curriculum, with keystone lectures from seven partner campuses.

  • Stanford University

    Curriculum lead

  • Arizona State University

  • Georgia Institute of Technology

  • The Ohio State University

  • The Pennsylvania State University

  • University of Kansas

  • Vanderbilt University

  • Washington University in St. Louis

Industry partnerships

Manufacturers join Foundry School as session leads.

  • September 18, 2026

    Corvane Industries joins as a regional session lead

    Corvane Industries will lead a regional session on assembly-line engineering. Its founders will teach from two decades of plant launches.

  • October 2, 2026

    Halvard Systems to teach industrial automation

    Halvard Systems will lead the industrial automation session in the Stanford core program. The session covers controls, robotics, and line integration.

  • October 20, 2026

    Brightmoor Industries supports the capstone

    Brightmoor Industries will contribute case studies to the capstone session. Students will study what went wrong in failed ventures and why.

Stanford lecture program

Foundry School began with a seminar series at Stanford gathering founders and CEOs in advanced manufacturing to teach the principles behind the world's most successful industrial enterprises.

Student Fellowship

The Pax Silica Foundry School Student Fellowship supports students preparing for careers in advanced manufacturing. Eligibility, timeline, and application instructions will be posted here.

Apply on the fellowship site. The application link will be posted here.

Contact

Universities and companies can reach the Foundry School team by email.

Universities and companies: FoundrySchool@state.gov

Fact sheet

Trump Administration Launches Foundry School to Build the Workforce Behind America's Manufacturing Comeback

September 3, 2026

Read the fact sheet

Press releases

Register for Foundry School updates

Government and private sector visitors can register to learn more and potentially join this initiative.

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Sources: Trump Administration Launches Foundry School to Build the Workforce Behind America's Manufacturing Comeback