TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan is adding new blood to its semiconductor industry with a talent nurturing program spearheaded by the labor authorities and a leading university.
In light of the development of AI and 5G technology, the country is working to fill its labor shortage in the chipmaking sector. One potential solution being tried by the government is joining hands with leading universities including National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) to incubate talent through training, per UDN.
On Tuesday (Feb. 8), students taking part in the first session of the program completed their online courses and were given the opportunity to interview for a job at Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation, which specializes in producing memory chips and integrated circuits.
Nearly half of the students hailed from fields unrelated to electronics or electrical engineering, including nursing, economics, and languages. With proper training in the cross-departmental classes, they will find that a career at a semiconductor plant is in reach, according to NYCU Vice President Chen Yung-fu (陳永富).
The courses are free, and participants are granted a monthly allowance of up to NT$8,000 (US$287). They will also be prioritized in job matchmaking sessions at some of the best-known tech firms, such as Wistron, Innolux, UMC, Coretronic, and AppoTech.
