Talent Upskilling for the Semiconductor Industry

The semiconductor industry is the flavour of the moment. Governments around the world are vying with each other to offer support and facilities to the biggest names in the industry. Their objective is to become a player of scale and relevance in a short time and create a self-sustaining ecosystem.

India is no different.

The India Semiconductor Mission (ISM) serves as the focal point for achieving the government’s semiconductor vision. It aims to “build a strong semiconductor and display ecosystem, positioning India as a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design, while serving as the nodal agency for the efficient and seamless implementation of semiconductor and display schemes.” It operates under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY).

In 2021, the Union Cabinet had approved the comprehensive Semicon India programme with a financial outlay of INR 76,000 crore for the development of a sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem.

Semicon talent development

While efforts are underway to scale up semicon manufacturing through R&D and advanced fabrication labs, it is imperative that talent development programmes are implemented in parallel so that trained manpower is available to execute.

Recognizing the gap, the government has launched talent development initiatives at a transformational scale through a multi-agency and multi-modal approach. This includes the central government and the governments of several states. The private sector is coming to the party as well.  

Central government

The central government and its agencies have implemented a number of initiatives for creating and developing the semicon industry talent. A Press Information Bureau notification dated 31st July, 2024, identifies some of them.

“To foster talent development, several initiatives have been launched in India: 

• All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) has launched the following model curriculum for UG, Diploma and Minor Degree in the Semiconductor domain on 18.02.2023 as a step towards the creation of a talent pool:
  • B. Tech in Electronics Engineering (VLSI Design and Technology)
  • Diploma in IC manufacturing
  • Minor Degree in Electronics Engineering (VLSI Design and Technology)
• Under the Chips to Startup (C2S) Programme, being implemented at 113 academic institutions/ R&D organizations/ Start-ups/ MSMEs, 85,000 high-quality and qualified engineers are being trained in several areas. These include Very Large-scale Integration (VLSI) and Embedded System Design as well as development of 175 ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), working prototypes of 20 System on Chips (SoC), 30 FPGA-based designs and 30 IP Cores over a period of 5 years.”

State governments

Several states have stepped up to the challenge and launched their own schemes and initiatives, aiming to become the state of choice for the industry. Some of these have specific schemes for talent development, such as:

Karnataka

The state has a semicon policy aimed at “fostering growth in the semiconductor industry. This policy offers a range of incentives and infrastructure support to attract semiconductor companies to the state. Its talent development initiatives include:

Gujarat

The state’s semicon policy provides several modes of several fiscal and non-fiscal support. It also provides for the development of Dholera as a “semicon city” within the Dholera Special Investment Region. It is envisaged that the concentration of semicon activities in Dholera will create skill development opportunities in private establishments such as those of Tata and Micron.

Tamil Nadu

The state’s semicon policy seeks to “propel Tamil Nadu to the apex position in the value chain of the semiconductor and advanced electronics industry, thereby generating high-skilled employment opportunities, and accelerating innovation and technological advancements.”

A stated objective of the policy is to “create a skilled talent pool of 2,00,000 persons in this sector by 2030.”

The policy recognizes the limited availability of quality talent. It has introduced a payroll subsidy scheme incentivizing employers for hiring from the state, thereby building a long-term talent pool.

The State has “more than 100 academic institutions offering courses in Very Large-Scale Integration (VLSI), electronics design, nanotechnology etc., which support the required talent pool for semiconductor industry.”

Private initiatives

In June 2024 the Economic Times noted that “Semiconductor companies in India are accelerating their focus on campus engagement and building up fresh talent, even as the industry struggles with a lack of skilled professionals.

Companies like Intel India, AMD, Applied Materials and Tessolve are teaming up students and employees to work on real-life projects, establishing labs in institutes like IIT-Bombay, driving industry-academia partnerships to conduct research in core design and AI training and sponsoring students pursuing research.”

Though their efforts are meant for the benefit of their own enterprise, they will contribute to the whole.

Working together

Ushankk works with government agencies as well as private companies to track semicon talent and helps in finding the best fit on both sides. Contact Ushankk for your semicon talent needs.