Semiconductor courses needed in tierII and III HEIs for better outreach

Semiconductor courses needed in tierII and III HEIs for better outreach

Semiconductor expertise and AI skills can help students make cross disciplinary innovations 

Rajlakshmi.Ghosh@timesofindia.com  20.01.2024EDUCATION TIMES BANGALORE 

As the national and global demand for semiconductor talent continues to grow, the need for graduates to lead innovations crucial to India’s economic and technological aspirations, has become important. To meet this demand, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE), in addition to National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the country’s premier technical institutes such as the IITs and IISc are introducing short-term minor programmes and skill-based courses to prepare tomorrow’s engineers for India’s burgeoning semiconductor ecosystem. Joining the ranks are students from polytechnic colleges, Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), private or government colleges and diploma holders who are making optimum use of these courses to make a career in the manufacturing sector. Reportedly, the semiconductor industry is set to create 1 million jobs in India by 2026.

“The semiconductor sector is a critical driver of technological innovation, and its demand for cutting-edge programmes stems from several factors that include rapid technological advancements, complexity of semiconductor manufacturing, demand for specialised skills, environmental and sustainability concerns, global competition and national security,” TG Sitharam, chairman, AICTE, tells Education Times. Key courses The AICTE has introduced two new courses to fulfil the objectives of the SEMICON India Mission and to make India a global hub for electronics manufacturing and design: Diploma in IC manufacturing and BTech/BE in Electronics Engineering (VLSI Design & Technology) apart from a minor degree in VLSI Design & Technology. “The Council has accorded approval to 629 institutions with 10,524 approved intakes during AY 2023-24 to commence PG/UG/Diploma level courses in VLSI/semiconductor-related domain,” Prof Sitharam informs. Down South, to bridge the skill gaps and enable students to work with emerging technology areas, IITM-Pravartak has analysed the domain areas where skilling is required, and then with the help of an industry expert developed the training content that will be UGC compliant. This has led to short-term minor programmes such as Comprehensive Electronics and Embedded system, Application Driven Electronics & Embedded Technology with IoT, Advanced Electronics Manufacturing with Power electronics (from the electronics stream), and Digital Manufacturing Practice (from the mechanical stream) being started recently along with Education Ministry’s SWAYAM Plus for engineering/diploma/science students and graduates. The aim is to provide semiconductor industry training with placement assistance for deserving students.

 “The programmes can be pursued while the student is pursuing BTech/MTech at IIT Madras or other technical colleges/institutes,” says Kavitha Gopal, senior consultant, IIT Madras Pravartak elaborating there is a good amount of awareness about these programmes among the students through social media reach outs and word of mouth, hence they see them as a good value addition to their career pathway which will be leading them to research studies/ placements or starting their own startup business