diversity, equity and inclusion

SEMI MOD Working Group participants include SEMI member companies and organizations that are diverse-owned or led. The MOD also includes (NGOs and councils that specialize in measuring and certifying diverse-owned and led businesses that serve or could potentially support the chip industry.

The Pact for Skills aims to support upskilling and reskilling and generate European, national and regional funding to attract new talent. Launched by commissioners Breton and Schmit, the Pact makes it a priority to create a well-skilled workforce in microelectronics R&D, design, and manufacturing.

Now hiring signs are replacing masks and bottles of hand sanitizer as the ubiquitous markers of COVID-19, as the Great Resignation continues, and the Omicron surge ebbs. This is the new COVID reality: No industry seems to be fully staffed, and everyone is competing for talent.

Anand Nambiar, Executive VP of Semiconductor Materials at Merck, speaks about managing DE&I across cultures and geographies, the complex social interactions involved, and how the company educates employees about DE&I and its value in meeting day-to-day objectives and deliverables.

5 main challenges to fulfill the B Corp mission: establishing documentation processes, connecting with other Certified B Corporations, encouraging engagement among employees, supporting social and political initiatives, & providing a pathway to other Missouri-based Benefit Corps.

Only if we embrace people of all gender identities, generations, ethnicities, educational & industry backgrounds, & sexual orientations, (to name a few demographics) will we stand a chance to fill the talent pipelines needed for the semiconductor industry to seize its outstanding growth prospects.

Jennifer Braggin, director of technical training at Entegris, was honored with the inaugural SEMI Foundation Excellence in Achievement Award at SEMICON West 2021 in San Francisco in December for her contributions to advancing workforce development and DEI in the microelectronics industry.

Kate Wilson, president of the semiconductor division at Edwards Vacuum, has already made progress in tackling critical issues like reducing Edwards’ carbon footprint, building an inclusive workplace, and contributing to overcoming the global chip shortage.

29 new fabs will break ground globally between now and 2022. But who will staff them? With 34,000 current vacancies in the semiconductors industry worldwide, companies large and small are already competing for the same talent pool.

Considering the history of computing and the low expectations for women that were once widespread in academia and the workplace, little wonder that women continue to face significant hurdles in the microelectronics industry. Today, women make up less than 25% of the computing workforce.