Semiconductor Workforce Development Initiative Needs ‘Package’ of Disruptive Policies, Mechanisms

“We need to define a strategy to build Vietnam’s semiconductor industry within the development strategy for industry, including the electronics industry. From there, we can commission training tasks for emerging human resources and accurately forecast the market,” said the Deputy Prime Minister, adding that “we need to select key stages and processes to focus on mastering within the semiconductor product value chain”.

According to Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Duy Dong, the global semiconductor chip market has seen an average growth rate of approximately 14% annually over the past 20 years and is projected to reach a revenue of USD 1,000 billion by 2030. From now until 2030, the world will need approximately 1 million workers for all stages of chip design, manufacturing, assembly, packaging, and testing.

Currently, many large semiconductor companies are seeking to diversify their supply chains and take advantage of young, skilled labor in Asian countries, including Vietnam. The Ministry of Planning and Investment estimates that by 2030, Vietnam will need approximately 15,000 design engineers and 35,000 engineers to work in semiconductor manufacturing plants. At the same time, it will create 154,000 indirect jobs and contribute VND 360,000 billion to GDP.

Some notable proposed solutions in the Project include specialized training for 1,300 lecturers; expanding the training network and supporting training in the semiconductor industry and related sectors to approximately 200 facilities; investing in 4 shared semiconductor centers, 20 standard semiconductor training centers, and more.

Based on the experience in implementing microelectronics and semiconductor training programs, Prof. Dr. Vu Hai Quan, President of Ho Chi Minh City National University, said that in order to develop rapidly, it is necessary to have breakthrough mechanisms for training lecturers, sharing facilities, technical equipment, and related laboratories, and attracting foreign experts, among other things.

According to Deputy Minister of Education and Training Hoang Minh Son, given current conditions, the two areas in the semiconductor industry where Vietnam has an advantage are chip design, packaging, testing, and schools are in great need of accurate forecasts on human resource demand in microelectronics and semiconductors in order to develop effective training plans and programs.

“Policy mechanisms must be developed very quickly, and resources must be made available so that the Project can be implemented as soon as it is approved,” said Deputy Minister Hoang Minh Son.

Some opinions suggest that the Project should clarify the scientific basis, forecast domestic and international trends, the relationship with programs and projects on high-quality human resource training, assign tasks to ministries and sectors, and strengthen the role of training institutions and localities under the “commissioning” mechanism.

Addressing the “trap” of training practical, processing human resources in the microelectronics and semiconductor industry, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Hong Thai proposed investing heavily in research, technology reception and transfer, and having specific preferential policies for participants in the semiconductor industry human resource training “ecosystem” (training institutions, scientists, businesses, state management agencies). “The Ministry of Science and Technology will focus on prioritizing the implementation of a number of national science and technology programs to support the semiconductor industry,” said Deputy Minister Tran Hong Thai.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha requested that the Ministry of Planning and Investment take into account the opinions of ministries, sectors, and experts, continue researching, and “work while perfecting” the Project draft in order to make it more specific and consistent with the objectives, tasks, and solutions in the strategies for developing the microelectronics and semiconductor industry, training high-quality human resources, and priority national science and technology programs and products. In addition, the Project should clarify the resources required to implement each objective and task.

Regarding the implementation approach for the Project, the Deputy Prime Minister said that there should be a combination of transitional training programs, providing basic knowledge about the microelectronics and semiconductor industry, and specialized training programs for highly skilled personnel. It is crucial to thoroughly prepare the teaching staff, develop programs, curricula, and teaching methods.

“The Project should propose ‘packages’ of special breakthrough mechanisms and policies to remove obstacles in education and training, science and technology, public investment, research and development, and so on,” said the Deputy Prime Minister, emphasizing that the State will play a leading role, with the participation of businesses, in creating and ensuring the conditions (mechanisms, policies, facilities, equipment) for human resource training in the microelectronics and semiconductor industry, with clear criteria based on the inheritance of existing centers and research institutions. “The aim is to commission the formation of strong research groups and experts in semiconductor design, materials, information technology, and so on.”

“The Project needs to have a comprehensive and unified approach, in line with the development strategy for the microelectronics and semiconductor industry, and to propose specific products