In this interview, we delve into the strategies and initiatives of a forward-thinking company committed to building a robust talent pipeline and enhancing the diversity of its workforce. In today’s dynamic corporate landscape, these objectives are not only commendable but also essential for long-term success. Ahead of his presentation at SEMICON Europa, Nov. 14-17 in Munich, Dan Collins, General Manager of the SPTS Division at KLA Corporation, shares insights on innovative approaches and practices that KLA has adopted to attract, nurture, and retain a diverse talent pool, while fostering workplace inclusivity. Registration for the exhibition and conference is open.
SEMI: What is KLA’s long-term talent acquisition strategy to ensure sustained growth and competitiveness?
Collins: To sustain growth and competitiveness, KLA must both attract suitably qualified employees and, more importantly, retain the great people already employed. This involves a combination of strategies to engage the available talent pool, while investing in the development of our existing workforce.
For years we have strived to grow our talent pipeline through apprenticeships, graduate recruitment, internships, part-time and full-time degrees, and other initiatives with academic bodies. Building a diverse talent pool can be challenging through traditional academic routes, therefore we have developed strategic partnerships with selected academic institutes to address this. Also, we have been intentional in our engagements with local communities – spreading a wider net in hopes of finding talent we may have previously missed.
It is important for retention that employees can envision a clear career path for themselves and feel that they are progressing within a company. In this respect, we provide employees with continuous training and career development opportunities which helps to increase employee satisfaction and improve our business performance.
SEMI: How does KLA measure the effectiveness of its talent acquisition and onboarding strategies?
Collins: Talent is an integral part of our strategic planning process and is given the highest priority. The reason is quite simple – our people are critical to our business success. Progress is continually reviewed and factors such as turnover and attrition of female employees are measured against a balance scorecard. During my presentation at SEMICON Europa, I will highlight how these strategies have enabled us to diversify our workforce, reduce turnover, and reduce attrition of female employees.
SEMI: Can you provide examples of creative initiatives KLA has implemented to overcome the talent shortage?
Collins: In addition to increasing the number of apprentices to our well-established apprenticeship scheme, two years ago we enhanced our graduate scheme to include an initial a one-year structured graduate training program. This program provides new university graduates with a broader experience within different departments and therefore a better understanding of how KLA’s business operates than if we placed them directly into traditional graduate positions. To help strengthen the proportion of female graduates applying to our graduate scheme, we have been running a women-focused summer internship program that has proven to be quite successful for two consecutive years.
In 2022, KLA signed a UK Armed Forces Covenant aimed at supporting members of the armed forces to find jobs after leaving the services. We have guaranteed interviews for ex-service personnel looking to join our skilled manufacturing team, and once they have joined KLA, we offer paid leave if they choose to continue Reserve duty. Considering our intentional efforts to strengthen recruitment and retention, we were proud to receive the Bronze Award from the UK Government’s Defence Employer Recognition Scheme in 2022.
Additionally, we have employed targeted branding campaigns within the wider community to reach a more diverse range of candidates and bring visibility to KLA with both children and parents. With the help of the KLA Foundation we have sponsored a local science museum, Techniquest in Cardiff, to run STEM activities for local school classes in The KLA Lab and sponsored the community field at the local Newport Dragons rugby club where they host community outreach activities.
Recruitment promotion on local buses
KLA Lab at Techniquest (Cardiff Bay, UK)
Working with school-aged children is an important albeit long-term strategy to inspire future engineers. However, our hope is that the children may in turn inspire their parents or older siblings who currently may be looking for their next job to consider employment at KLA.
SEMI: What measurable results have been achieved because of the new initiatives?
Collins: We have noticed a reduced time-to-hire, which can be attributed to some of these initiatives. For example, we have had successful hires in test and assembly from our collaboration with the Armed Forces community and around 90% of the summer interns were successful in joining our graduate scheme. Retention overall has improved, and our latest employee survey indicated improved employee engagement.
SEMI: How have the new initiatives enabled KLA to build a diverse talent pipeline to overcome the shortage?
Collins: Inclusion and diversity are top priorities for KLA – in the UK and globally. Diversity is a business-critical imperative when working in an industry that requires innovative thinking to solve complex problems. As noted, we have widened our search for potential candidates and to ensure equal opportunities for KLA employees, we have invested heavily in staff training covering Inclusion for All, Inclusive Hiring, and Combatting Unconscious Bias.
In KLA UK, we also offer two Employee Resource Groups: Women in STEM Empowered (WISE) that supports women in the company, and PRISM (where Pride, Respect, Inclusion and Solidarity Meet) supporting LGBQT+ employees. We encourage employees to become inspiring role models for the next generation of engineers by taking part in a wide range of STEM outreach activities at our manufacturing facilities, schools, and community events. We work closely with other members of CSconnected, a regional cluster of companies and universities involved in compound semiconductor technologies, to promote career opportunities within the semiconductor industry and to strengthen the local talent pipeline. We have also formed links with local and UK-wide organizations such as Engineering Education Scheme Wales, Business in the Community, and STEM Learning to help us identify the local schools and colleges that need support from industry to guide their students.
Local female students visiting KLA UK manufacturing site
SEMI: What role does diversity and inclusion play in KLA’s talent acquisition and retention strategies?
Collins: In our drive to be better, KLA commits to creating a more inclusive and diverse workforce each year, because we understand that everyone benefits when teams harness the varying perspectives, abilities, and talents of its people.
Diversity is only the beginning, however. If a company has spent time and resources to recruit a diverse range of people, the working environment must reflect the inclusivity promised during the interview. A critical component to retention is inclusivity and belonging – or looking after the different needs of all employees and removing barriers which may stand in the way of career progression.
For example, in the case of improving female employee attrition, we have initiated a female mentoring scheme to support and develop some of our most promising employees, and introduced a new policy covering menopause, as well as other areas such as IVF and fostering which affect both men and women.
SEMI: How does KLA differentiate itself as an employer of choice to attract top talent in a competitive market?
Collins: We conduct ourselves by five principal values: Perseverance, Drive to Be Better, High Performance Team, Honest/Forthright/Consistent, and Indispensable. Our goal is to attract talent that can identify with KLA’s core values. KLA offers careers that are challenging, inspiring, and rewarding. We bring ideas and innovation to life as our high-performance teams collaborate from different regions and technology disciplines. We celebrate the diversity of our employees, nurture a culture of inclusion, and encourage a trusting work environment built on communication, understanding, and respect. Along the way, we strive to have fun and give back to our local communities.
Earlier this year, KLA was recognized as one of the Top 40 Female-Friendly Companies by Time Magazine, and within the UK specifically we have been awarded a Gold level from Investors in People, and Presidents Award from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) for consistent excellence in workplace health and safety.
SEMI: How does KLA adapt its talent acquisition strategies to align with changing workforce trends, such as the rise of remote work?
Collins: Global workforce trends are indeed changing, with many employees seeking opportunities that provide greater flexibility to balancing working life and family life. While originally enforced by COVID restrictions in the UK and beyond, a hybrid-working model has since been embraced at KLA to assist in attracting and retaining a diverse workforce.
SEMI: What should SEMICON Europa visitors expect to learn during your presentation, Challenges and Opportunities Surrounding Your Talent Pipeline, during the Future of Work session on November 15?
Collins: During my presentation I will highlight some of the successful programs discussed, and the hope is that they will be transferable to other companies in the semiconductor industry, as we all strive to strengthen the talent pipeline and attract the next generation of engineers to enable the industry to continue to advance humanity and prosperity.
About Dan Collins
Dan Collins is General Manager of the SPTS Division within KLA Corp. After joining SPTS in 2016 as Supply Chain Director, Dan was promoted to VP Operations in 2019 and has been instrumental in driving the improvements to the company’s manufacturing operations. As General Manager he is overseeing the integration of SPTS into KLA, involving new processes, systems, and employee culture during a period of significant growth for the business. He has previous operations experience with Edwards and Cooper Tire & Rubber Company with exposure to supply chain management in the semiconductor, automotive, and other industries. He holds a BSc (Hons) in Astrophysics from Queen Mary University of London, and MSc in Technology Management.
Cassandra Melvin is senior director of Business Development and Operation at SEMI.