How KLA is Fueling Ideas Through Tailored Continuous Learning

As technology evolves, companies like KLA know they can’t afford for their teams to fall behind. Staying competitive means mastering technology and putting it to work for customers and employees. At KLA, innovation isn’t just in the tools they build. It’s also in how they train the people who develop, support, and service those tools.

Ross Battaglia, Senior Director of Learning and Knowledge Services, leads the team behind KLA’s global technical training programs for service and tech support engineers. His focus is on helping people grow their skills in ways that directly enhance the customer experience.

“We want to get the right information to the right person at the right time,” Ross said. That simple idea is driving some big changes in how learning happens at KLA.

Instead of taking a one-size-fits-all approach, Ross’s team is piloting new programs that tailor learning based on job role and experience. Using a mix of self-paced courses, hands-on labs, and virtual tools, they’re supporting engineers at every stage of their journey — from new hire to expert.

Using Tech to Make Learning More Effective

A growing hub for advanced engineering and semiconductor innovation, KLA is surrounded by top-tier talent and a culture of continuous learning that mirrors its own. KLA is headquartered in California with offices across the globe, including a state-of-the-art AI and Modeling Center of Excellence in Ann Arbor, Michigan. 

The company develops advanced inspection, metrology, and process control systems that help manufacture the world’s most complex semiconductor chips. Its tools enable chipmakers to detect and solve problems early in the production process, improving yield, reliability, and performance at scale. 

To support this level of technical excellence, KLA is rethinking how it trains the engineers behind the tools. The company has embraced blended learning, combining hands-on classroom time with remote instruction, virtual simulations, and augmented reality. The team has deployed Microsoft HoloLens in support of this approach and continues to test new technology to explore how next generation tech might support future training.

The company operates eight global training centers, featuring more than 140 tools and 100 cleanroom bays across North America, Asia, and Europe. These regional hubs bring training closer to where engineers and customers are based, reducing travel time and increasing access.

This year, KLA doubled the size of its Korea training center and modernized its Taiwan facility to better support their service teams. It’s a strategy that reflects KLA’s growing global footprint and commitment to continuous learning, no matter where employees are located.

“We’re not replacing in-person learning, we’re enhancing it,” Ross said.

Stronger training leads to better outcomes. Engineers who feel confident and well-prepared can solve problems faster, maintain tools more effectively, and improve uptime for customers, which has a significant impact on the bottom line.

It also creates a better experience for KLA’s customers. From tool performance to on-site support, well-trained teams are at the center of everything. KLA even offers tailored training to customers to help them get the most out of their equipment.

As Ross put it, “A great customer service experience starts with a well-trained engineer.”

A Culture That Invests in People

KLA is helping shape the future of semiconductor manufacturing — not just through cutting-edge tools, but through an investment in the people who power them. That mindset is reflected in how the company approaches learning today: building practical, personalized programs that grow with employees and empower innovation from the ground up.

Ross has been at KLA for 24 years, starting out as a service engineer in the field. Early on, he saw firsthand how on-the-job training made a difference in how the team performed. That experience shaped how he leads today, building programs that feel relevant, timely, and practical.

Over the years, Ross has moved through roles in engineering, operations, and leadership. He’s grown with the company, and now he’s helping others do the same.

What’s kept him at KLA isn’t just the work. It’s the people, the collaboration, and the shared mindset: always improving, always learning, always helping each other get better.

KLA is helping shape the future of semiconductor manufacturing — not just through cutting-edge tools, but through a deep investment in the people who power them. That mindset shows up in the way KLA approaches learning today — with a focus on building a place where people can grow, and where innovation comes from the ground up.

Learn more about how KLA is setting the pace for the future.