One of the biggest challenges for the Vietnamese semiconductor microelectronics sector is its severe manpower shortage, both in terms of quantity and quality.
In the long run, this shortage could stunt the development of the entire semiconductor sector and affect Vietnam’s competitiveness. Semiconductor microelectronics are generally considered the core of the electronics industry and play a pivotal role in the structural shift of the economy. In Danang, the semiconductor microelectronics industry is envisioned to become a high-growth economic sector, laying the foundation for overall development and accelerating the industrialization and modernization of the city.
This sets the stage for the memorandum of understanding (MoU) which DTU signed with the Danang Hi-Tech Park and Sun Edu international education JSC on January 26, 2024, for the development of semiconductor microelectronics human resources in Danang. Sharing the same goal and having been active in fields related to semiconductor microelectronics for many years, the collaboration among these three partners holds great promise for ushering in a new phase of high-quality manpower training for the sector in Central Vietnam.
Sun Edu visited DTU (above) and DTU staff visited the Danang Hi-Tech Park
Sun Edu international education JSC is a pioneering training institution in electronics and semiconductors. Sun Edu specializes in high-quality training solutions and consultancy for universities and other educational organizations. Previously, Sun Edu has successfully collaborated with:
- the Training Center under the Management Board of the Ho Chi Minh City Hi-Tech Park to establish the Electronics & Semiconductor Center (ESC),
- and the National Innovation Center (NIC, of the Ministry of Planning & Investment) to set up the ESC, launched on October 28, 2023, at the NIC Hoa Lac (Hanoi).
The Danang Hi-Tech Park is the third national hi-tech park in Vietnam (after the Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park in Hanoi and the Ho Chi Minh City Hi-Tech Park). The government’s development goal for the Danang Hi-Tech Park is for it to become an attractive destination for both domestic and foreign investors, thereby driving the development of science & technology in Danang and in the rest of Central Vietnam and the Central Highlands. The Danang Hi-Tech Park aspires to become an eco-urban area, harmoniously integrating R&D, training, and production with living spaces and a socio-cultural environment.
DTU lecturers and students visited the Danang Hi-Tech Park as part of “Meeting with Experts”
DTU offers multi-level, multidisciplinary, and multi-field education right in Danang. Over the past years, the university has consistently ranked high on global rankings like QS Rankings, Times Higher Education (THE), and Shanghai Ranking, often in the top 5 of Vietnam. Alongside many other key fields, the university’s majors in IT and in electronic engineering have enjoyed a high level of trust from society for many years. Several programs in these fields have achieved ABET accreditation, the gold standard for technology & engineering education in the US. With its highly qualified lecturers with years of experience and its modern infrastructure, DTU ensures quality education and provides high-quality manpower to the semiconductor microelectronics sector. Students of the university have furthermore achieved top awards in various competitions related to the field, such as ASEAN Information Security, CTFtime, Go Green in the City, InnovateFPGA, and the Hack-the-Future hackathon, which is testament to the quality of its educational output.
The MoU signed by the three partners aims to establish and develop a semiconductor microelectronics training center in Danang. The focus will be on transitional training, advanced training, and retraining according to international standards to meet societal demand. The common goal of the collaboration is to develop a semiconductor microelectronics ecosystem in Central Vietnam, with an expansion strategy that spans the entire country. The partners will coordinate on several aspects, including:
- organizing intensive training courses for lecturers and management staff specialized in semiconductor microelectronics design in Danang;
- providing licenses for microelectronics design training;
- organizing conferences and seminars related to the microelectronics design training program.
From this, they would advise the Danang People’s Committee on the implementation of high-quality semiconductor microelectronics manpower training effectively and with quality.
Based on this, DTU students in particular, and students at other universities in Danang in general, will get access to advanced training programs to enhance their practical skills, aimed at fostering career development. Students will also get opportunities to participate in real-life production and business operations at companies to gain knowledge and meet business needs, thus growing into skilled engineers for the semiconductor microelectronics design sector.
To wit, DTU has also signed agreements on training and development in semiconductors and electronics with two other companies: Intel and Qualcomm.
(Media Center)