World Bank expert points out weaknesses that need to be overcome in semiconductor training

Overview of the workshop "Consulting on the assessment report on human resource development in Vietnam's semiconductor industry" - Photo: THIEN THONG

The workshop "Consultation on the assessment report on human resource development in Vietnam's semiconductor industry" organized by Ho Chi Minh City National University in collaboration with the World Bank (WB) on April 26, had the participation of more than 70 delegates from state management agencies, domestic and foreign universities, international organizations and enterprises in the high-tech sector.

Lack of standardization of programs and limited research output

According to Ms. Ekua Nuama Bentil - Head of Global Education Technology Group, Senior Education Expert of the World Bank, Ho Chi Minh City National University has many advantages in expanding the scale of semiconductor human resource training.

Because the university now has a curriculum that mimics world-class engineering institutions, its member schools have jointly developed a specialized semiconductor curriculum.

Ho Chi Minh City National University also has an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center closely connected with businesses and research institutes.

Domestic technology enterprises such as FPT and PFIEV have built laboratories right at the school; international companies such as Faraday and Synopsys also coordinate to organize short-term training courses for students.

"This is the premise for building an ecosystem to train high-quality human resources in the semiconductor field," Ms. Ekua emphasized.

However, Ms. Ekua also pointed out a series of weaknesses in semiconductor training in Vietnam and said that these are challenges in developing the semiconductor ecosystem: the curriculum lacks standardization, facilities between schools are uneven, the rate of lecturers with PhD degrees is low, research output is limited and links with businesses are mainly individual, without an official mechanism.

"Enterprises should consider Ho Chi Minh City National University as the main source of human resources and participate in the training process to ensure output quality meets practical requirements," she recommended.

Ms. Tran Thi Anh Nguyet - education economist, WB announced the survey results - Photo: THIEN THONG

Proposal to build a complete semiconductor ecosystem

Prof. Dr. Le Quan - Director of Hanoi National University - said that training should aim to build human resources for the entire semiconductor ecosystem, focusing on high-level human resources (university and graduate), while linking domestic training with international cooperation. At the same time, he hopes that the report can make stronger recommendations on training orientation at universities.

Associate Professor Dr. Tran Le Quan - Principal of the University of Natural Sciences (Ho Chi Minh City National University) - said that there are still many difficulties in training semiconductor human resources at universities today.

In particular, schools are facing difficulties in operating practical laboratories because the current investment mechanism only pays once, while the operating costs are completely borne by the school. This places a financial burden on students and affects the quality of training.

Prof. Dr. Phan Bach Thang - Director of INOMAR Center - also believes that only initial investment but not ensuring long-term operation will make the training system unsustainable.

He proposed that the WB should recommend that the State develop an investment mechanism in stages, initially 100% of the funding from the budget, then share the costs with schools and businesses when the system is in operation.

Mr. Gu-Yeon Wei, John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University (USA), said that Vietnam should learn from the semiconductor industry development models of Taiwan (Hsinchu Park), South Korea (IDEC, KAIST), the United States (CHIPS Act) and Malaysia (CREST).

He proposed building a complete semiconductor ecosystem with R&D centers, IC design centers, scholarship programs with work commitments, and investment in shared infrastructure.

The 2025 - 2030 period focuses on modernizing laboratories, training lecturers, and building a national semiconductor center; the 2030 - 2045 period is the time for international integration and sustainable development of the industry ecosystem.

WB reports play an important role in policy advice

At the workshop, Ms. Tran Thi Anh Nguyet - education economist, WB - announced the survey results, in which the gap between business needs and the skills of the existing workforce in the semiconductor industry stood out.

Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Hai Quan delivered the opening speech at the conference - Photo: THIEN THONG

Associate Professor Dr. Vu Hai Quan - Director of Ho Chi Minh City National University - commented that the WB report not only assesses the current situation but also plays an important role in providing policy advice to the Government, educational institutions and businesses to ensure the consistency between training and the country's development needs, avoiding the situation of local surplus or shortage of human resources.

"As soon as the WB proposed cooperation in research on human resource development in the field of semiconductor microchips, we urgently implemented the work," said Mr. Quan.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chuyen-gia-ngan-hang-the-gioi-chi-ra-diem-yeu-can-khac-phuc-trong-dao-tao-ban-dan-20250426182338271.htm