India Electronics & Semiconductor Association to launch one-of-a-kind skill enabler programme

Paying heed to the changing demands of the 21st century, organisations, institutions and individuals are continuously in a shift. In the case of India, the struggle in the global chip market has aggravated the need for India to rise in the semiconductor industry. Evidently, India's consumption of semiconductors is expected to rise beyond the $80 billion mark by 2026 and the $110 billion mark by 2030.

This points towards a need to nurture and connect the young minds in the semiconductor industry to prospective employers. With an aim to provide such individuals with a platform, enabling them with the required skill and knowledge, the India Electronics and Semiconductor Association (IEAS) announced a unique skill enabler programme.

Reportedly, this skill enabler programme is a first-of-its-kind initiative, designed in a way to target a very small yet growing segment of the industry. In a bid to create a skilled workforce for the growing semiconductor industry in India, IESA will reach out to eligible candidates, and nurture them with appropriate skills depending on the industrial needs.

"Naturally, the sector is ripe with abundant opportunities for different stakeholders, including budding ECE and CE graduates. However, we must admit that compared to the IT sector, the semiconductor and electronics industry is relatively lower on the radar of modern-age students," said Dr Pradip Thaker, Executive Council, IESA.

The semiconductor and electronics industry is facing a major challenge as a majority of engineering talent (ECE, CE, CS students) today are opting for IT careers.

The first-of-its-kind initiative will be conducted in three phases- Create Awareness, Knowledge sharing and connect the industry. These can be considered the sole pillar of the industry to thrive. The first phase will focus on providing the young industry personnel with information regarding the latest development in the semiconductor and electronics industry.

Phase 2 will deal with sharing knowledge, for this renowned industry speaker will offer market insights with either live sessions or in pre-recorded format. Candidates will be made available during these sessions.

Finally, under phase 3, candidates will be offered sponsored fellowships, with an intention to create a tight cross-connect between more than 300 industry entities and over 2,000 colleges.

Reportedly, these fellow interns certified by IESA will have the opportunity to gain experience in the CSR-driven sponsored programmes. Additionally, technical universities will also be provided skill development sponsorship of free CAD tools.

The end goal of this initiative is to measurably increase the uptake of ECE and CE students for semiconductor and electronics industry careers over the next four years.