Germany launches €12m chip skills academy
The German government has today launched an educational initiative with a €12m skills academy for the semiconductor industry.
The scheme, Skilled workers for microelectronics: skills4chips, is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).
A key component is the establishment of a national educational academy for microelectronics and microsystem technology. The Microtec Academy will address the growing demand for skilled workers with innovative training programs and is coordinated by the Berlin-based Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH) with sites across the country (see below).
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The European Union aims to double the share of semiconductors produced in Europe from 10% to 20% by 2030 and to intensify regional semiconductor production through the European Chips Act. Expanding these production capacities requires qualified personnel and is also a key issue for both SEMI and the UK and US governments.
The Microtec Academy will be a national educational hub for microelectronics and microsystem technology with €12m from the BMBF over four years.
The consortium is led by the Berlin Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz Institute for High-Frequency Technology and brings experience in training and education from two previous BMBF-funded projects, BM = x³ and the Microelectronics Academy.
It says proven initiatives from regional clusters can be continued and enriched with additional offerings, such as partial qualifications or specific training programmes for career changers.
“Our goal is to sustainably strengthen Germany’s position in microelectronics,” explains Prof. Dr.-Ing. Patrick Scheele, Scientific Managing Director of FBH. “The ‘Microtec Academy’ creates a unique network that brings together all relevant players: educational institutions, vocational schools, universities, research, and industry. This allows us to offer tailored, sometimes nationwide programs across the entire educational chain and simultaneously open up new qualification pathways. In this way, we attract the urgently needed skilled workers with a nationwide coordinated approach, benefiting both people and the industry.”
In the long term, the “Microtec Academy” aims to increase the quality and quantity of education and training in microelectronics on all levels, from career orientation, vocational training, and university studies to reskilling and upskilling.
Special attention will be given to reaching new target groups, tailoring educational programmes to demand (yet to be determined), and training vocational teachers and trainers.
A virtual technology lab will enable innovative training measures, supporting flexible learning and offering a wide range of formats, from online courses and hybrid models to hands-on courses that combine theory and practice.
The consortium also includes the regional vocational skills training centre of Steinburg, the Institute of Microtechnology at the Technische Universität Braunschweig, the Department of Computer Science and Microsystems Technology at the University of Applied Sciences Kaiserslautern, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg, microTEC Südwest, and the IVAM Microtechnology Network.
Additional cooperation and network partners from all over Germany, such as the Forschungsfabrik Mikroelektronik Deutschland (FMD) and Silicon Saxony, are supporting the project to advance workforce development in microelectronics and microsystem technology.
The project consortium will present the flagship project in March 2025 to gain input on the project implementation.
Further information will be published soon at elektronikforschung.de
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