Attracting semiconductor talent, salary alone is not enough

At the conference “Developing human resources to serve the semiconductor industry” on April 24, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed: Human resource training is one of the five pillars to develop the semiconductor industry, along with the other four pillars: building infrastructure, perfecting institutions, mobilizing resources and building a development ecosystem.

However, currently, the training of semiconductor human resources in Vietnam faces many challenges, requiring the coordination of "three parties": State - School - Enterprise. The Ministry of Finance and the Vietnam Innovation Center (NIC) are playing the role of a bridge between domestic and foreign partners to contribute to realizing the goal of the National Program on Human Resources Development for the Semiconductor Industry by 2030, with a vision to 2050. That is to train at least 50,000 university-level personnel, 1,300 specialized lecturers and build and develop a system of more than 20 national laboratories and facilities serving semiconductor training and research by 2030.

Lecturers need to access the "breath" of the industry

Speaking with VietNamNet on the sidelines of the event “Digital Twin shaping the future of semiconductor human resources” on June 12, Mr. Do Tien Thinh – Deputy Director of NIC – provided more information about two training courses, focusing on improving the capacity of lecturers and practical training for students.

Regarding lecturers, Mr. Do Tien Thinh commented that although they have good professional qualifications, they lack practical environments, laboratories and specific projects. Meanwhile, the semiconductor industry especially needs to be linked with businesses to access the breath of the industry. He cited an example in foreign countries, where universities require professors and researchers to participate in business projects to gain practical experience to apply to teaching.

Therefore, the Center is promoting short-term training courses from 3 to 6 months for lecturers, connecting schools with large semiconductor corporations such as Nvidia and Qualcomm. When participating in the course, lecturers not only update the latest trends but also have the opportunity to work for foreign corporations.

University of Technology - Vietnam National University , Hanoi introduces chip products researched and tested by the school. Photo: VNU

For students, due to limited funding for labs and inviting foreign lecturers, the training model in conjunction with international schools is an effective solution. For example, the 2+2 or 3+1 model (studying 2-3 years in Vietnam, then 1-2 years abroad) helps students access modern labs, practice at businesses and study with international professors. This not only reduces costs but also increases job opportunities, especially in places like Taiwan (China), which has a strong semiconductor education system but is short of human resources.

The center currently supports connecting Vietnamese schools with economies such as the US, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan to meet training and employment needs.

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In addition to the above training programs, NIC also recommends that technology corporations such as Cadence and Sypnosys sponsor design tools for schools for use by lecturers and students, because schools requesting individual support face many difficulties.

This approach is being applied by the Danang Center for Microchips, Semiconductors and Artificial Intelligence (DSAC). At a recent event, Mr. Le Hoang Phuc, Director of DSAC, shared a number of initiatives such as connecting universities with businesses to provide training programs for source lecturers; coordinating with companies to grant scholarships to students, and providing them with a practical working environment to gain experience.

The key to attracting semiconductor talent isn't salary

After having quality human resources, another big issue is the mechanism to attract and retain talent. According to Mr. Do Tien Thinh, the motivation for employees to work does not only come from salary or housing but also from a synchronous ecosystem, improving factors such as environment and security. He pointed out that there are foreign experts who do not consider Hanoi an ideal place to live long-term due to the air pollution index.

“The philosophy of human resource development and talent attraction of advanced countries always focuses on creating a favorable ecosystem for talent development,” said Mr. Do Tien Thinh.

This issue was also mentioned by Mr. Le Hoang Phuc when talking about Da Nang's experience in developing semiconductors. According to the Director of DSAC, in addition to incentive mechanisms for businesses, exemption of personal income tax for experts, infrastructure ready for semiconductors, living environment is one of the factors that helps Da Nang attract talent.

“Da Nang is the most livable city, people coming here can enjoy and balance life and work,” Mr. Le Hoang Phuc shared.