With the semiconductor industry on track to reach $1 trillion in revenue as soon as 2030, over 300,000 new positions will be available in Europe in the coming years. The European semiconductor industry will need to grow its workforce to reach manufacturing capacity expansion targets and seize innovation and market opportunities. The SEMI Talent Forum 2024 in Swansea, UK connected university students with semiconductor companies while highlighting workforce development, global challenges and cutting-edge technologies, including transformative technologies and environmental sustainability.
Industry leaders gathered at the SEMI Talent Forum 2024 to promote their companies and products to the next generation of industry talent, highlighting innovation, sustainability, diversity, and the omnipresence of semiconductors in our daily lives. Companies showcased how semiconductor technologies continue to enable advancements in life quality and tackle global challenges like food scarcity, climate change, and cybersecurity. The forum connected over 300 students with local semiconductor companies to explore career paths and employment opportunities in the chip industry.
SEMI Europe President Laith Altimime commented on the need for such events: “The SEMI Talent Forum is just one of the many initiatives that SEMI Europe has launched to promote the semiconductor industry to the next generation and connect students with industry. Collaboration among industry, academia, and governments is paramount to the industry’s growth in Europe. SEMI plays a critical role in this collaboration and will continue to provide platforms that build the talent pipeline. With its new Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials (CISM) facility, Swansea University was the perfect location to showcase how the industry, academia, and government can work together to create new opportunities for students.”
Laith Altimime, President of SEMI Europe
Professor Helen Griffiths, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation, remarked on the significance of hosting the SEMI Talent Forum at Swansea University: “I am delighted to announce Swansea University’s support for the SEMI Talent Forum 2024. As a university founded by industry, for industry, we are committed to working with industrial, commercial, and public sector partners for the benefit of our local community and beyond. By hosting this major event for students and teachers at our schools, colleges, and universities, we are raising awareness of career opportunities in the rapidly expanding global semiconductor and related industries. By hosting this Talent Forum, we are better placed to support our industry partners through developing the pipeline of talent who will be at the forefront of future technologies.”
Helen Griffiths, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at Swansea University
On the importance of building a local talent pipeline, Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Energy, Jeremy Miles, said “Wales’s academics and open access research facilities are leading the way in wideband gap technologies and heterogeneous integration for power applications. With recent investment, we expect to see this internationally recognized Welsh cluster grow further over the coming years and so cultivating and harnessing these skills for the future has never been more important.”
Students network at the SEMI Talent Forum 2024
As companies expand and build new facilities, recruitment will be a top priority in the coming years. Dan Collins, General Manager of SPTS Division of KLA Corporation commented: "The SEMI Talent Forum is helping provide greater awareness of high-tech career opportunities in the region. By working with SEMI and bringing the Talent Forum to Swansea, it will shine a spotlight on what Wales and the wider UK has to offer in terms of a future career in the semiconductor industry.”
With recruitment efforts ramping up, students have unprecedented career opportunities – and companies benefit from their proximity to high tech universities that enable students to pursue cutting-edge research at their facilities. The SEMI Talent Forum program featured student presentations on innovative research ranging from small molecule memristors, photovoltaic modules, graphene-based electronic sensors for gas detection, to materials solutions for rapid charging stations for electric vehicles and more. Student pitches were followed by an interactive poster session where they elaborated on their research and networked with industry leaders.
Students network during the poster session
During the Career Café exhibition, students delved into the dynamic world of technology through immersive and interactive experiences, exploring virtual and augmented reality tours of the latest semiconductor manufacturing machinery.
Edwards Vacuum showcased its latest VR immersive equipment tour, drawing a queue of students eager to learn more about its products and career opportunities. General Manager of the Edwards Clevedon site, Neil Mehta, remarked: “It was a great opportunity for Edwards to be a part of this fantastic event. We in the industry are all aware of the challenges that are faced when recruiting the next generation, so to be able to present alongside side such other companies as KLA, Oxford Instruments and Comet was an invaluable experience. I hope the students were able to see just how rewarding a career in the semiconductor industry can be!”
Students network with company representatives
Following Isabella Drolz’s presentation, Exploring the Dynamic Landscape of the Semiconductor Supply Chain: Empowering Europe's Future Innovators, students flocked to the Comet booth during the Career Café to learn more about x-ray technology through augmented reality. Comet Group’s Chief Human Resources Officer, Meike Boekelmann, highlighted the importance of such events: “The SEMI Talent Forum provides the perfect platform for networking, knowledge sharing, and career development. By supporting the event, we invest in the next generation of semiconductor professionals and contribute to grow a passion for our industry, which is essential for sustainable innovation and growth.”
Igniting a passion for the industry is instrumental to recruiting the next generation of semiconductor professionals. To support this, SEMI launched the ChipQuest Challenge during the SEMI Talent Forum. The ChipQuest Challenge is a competition for high-school and university students to win high-tech prizes and gain access to companies by creating short videos introducing the world of semiconductors to school children. Students at the Forum were excited about the prospect of helping to promote the incredible impact of chip technology, while expanding their career opportunities with sponsoring companies. The SEMI ChipQuest Challenge is another initiative that will promote the industry while connecting companies with students.
Bringing together universities, industry, and governments from Europe and beyond, the SEMI Talent Forum attracted over 500 registered participants from both industry and academia. This one-of-a-kind career event catered not only to students, but also to companies and governments seeking to expand the semiconductor industry. Students and researchers from more than 22 universities, including institutions as far away as Riga, Latvia, traveled to Swansea to participate. European companies sponsored the event, emphasizing the importance of highlighting the career opportunities and global impact of the semiconductor industry. Local government representatives underscored the industry’s critical role in the UK, while ministers and representatives from Nigeria attended to gain insights as they develop their national semiconductor strategy.
Left photo: Professor Owen Guy, Centre for Integrative Semiconductor Materials at Swansea University; Chris Young, Commercialization Senior Manager at Welsh Government, Richard Shaddick, Senior Delivery Manager, Trade, and Inward Investment at Welsh Government. Right photo: Dr. Bosun Tijani, Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy at Federal Republic of Nigeria; Kofo Akinkugbe, Founder and Group CEO at SecureID Ltd; Cassandra Melvin, Senior Director of Business Development and Operations at SEMI Europe; Laith Altimime, President of SEMI Europe
One thing is clear: the key to any successful semiconductor strategy is collaboration among government, universities, and industry. SEMI is committed to playing a pivotal role in providing platforms for this collaboration, helping the industry collectively overcome the talent shortage and advance technology.
SEMI would like to thank the sponsors for supporting the event and enabling companies to boost their recruitment efforts to onboard new talent, as well as all participants for their contributions to the event’s success.
The event was held at the Great Hall on Swansea University Bay Campus, Fabian Way, Crymlyn Burrows, Swansea SA1 8EN, UK.
Sponsors: Catapult, Comet Group, CS Connected, Edwards, KLA, Oxford Instruments, Swansea University, and the Welsh Government
Event supported by: European Chip Skills Academy (ECSA), European Chip Diversity Alliance (ECDA), SEMI University
For more details, please visit the SEMI Talent Forum 2024 website, read the Post Show Report, and connect with SEMI Europe on X or LinkedIn @SEMIEurope (#talentforum #digitalfuture)
Cassandra Melvin is Senior Director of Business Development and Operations at SEMI Europe.