Twente can get to work training extra talent for microchip sector

Industry, educational institutions and other regional partners have drawn up a plan for this in good cooperation and can now start implementing it. ‘We are very happy with this. Because of the strength of our cooperation in Twente, there is an important basis to achieve results together and quickly implement the plan,’ says Ank Bijleveld, chair of the Twente Board. ‘But I would like to make a strong comment. Namely, within this trajectory, the cabinet does not make any exceptions or specific agreements on the Internationalisation in Balance Act. While recruiting international students is a crucial point in our plan, for which we are already working intensively with the other regions. VNO-NCW also emphasised this recently in their letter to the Parliamentary Committee of OCW’.

There will still be a tailor-made decision per region, but the educational institutions are ready: ‘We are in the starting blocks to train more Twente talent for suppliers for the microchip sector,’ said ROC van Twente Board of Governors president Trudy Vos.

Sander Verschoor, managing director of VDL ETG Almelo, endorses the importance of talent: ‘For Twente companies, I see many opportunities in the microchip industry. Twente is an innovative region, has a lot of potential, an attractive business climate, a strong industrial ecosystem and reliable suppliers. We are delighted that this award has been made for the Twente region, as (technical) talent is essential to make the most of the opportunities.’

As a strong technology region, Twente is thus making an important contribution to the microchip sector. Students trained in Twente not only find their place at companies in the region, but also fan out across the Netherlands, such as at ASML, for example.

Importance of the microchip sector

Investing in the microchip sector is of great importance for the Netherlands, both from an economic and social perspective. The sector is an important carrier of the economy of the future. ASML is among the absolute world leaders in chip technology and has substantial growth ambitions. To achieve this, the entire chain, of which Twente is an essential part, must grow. Companies like VDL ETG, Demcon, NTS Hengelo, Benchmark Electronics and Tecnotion are strategically important suppliers and, together with many SMEs in the region, fulfil a crucial role for the sector. In short: ASML can only grow if companies in Twente grow too.

Investing in technically skilled talent

For that growth, it is necessary to invest in technically-skilled talent: training Dutch talent, attracting and retaining international talent, focusing on lateral entrants and retraining existing employees. In the Netherlands, too few students still opt for a technical education. As a result, there is a growing shortage of technically skilled personnel on the labour market. The number of vacancies continues to rise unabated. The shortage of technical talent is holding back the development of the chip sector in the Netherlands. Although we are a global leader in this technology, this puts that position under pressure.

Twente plans

Together, the educational institutions, the Twente business community and the government united within Twente Board developed a plan for the sustainable strengthening of the sector. This plan describes measures that will lead to an outflow of extra technically trained students at MBO, HBO and WO level and includes various measures to retain talent.

In the period up to and including 2030, 1,640 extra students should enter technical study programmes. This should lead to a structural increase of some 480 graduates in the following years. A key ambition is to link the potential of students being trained to microchip companies and increase the ‘stay rate’ of (international) students in the region and in the Netherlands.

There are also measures that will train additional potential in the short term from lateral entry and target groups that are currently less represented in the microchip sector through a Lifelong Development offer. Over the next five years, this should help almost 800 additional people find their way into the microchip sector and around 2,200 existing workers in the sector will be trained to the latest state-of-the-art technology.

Unique in the approach is the Semicon Learning Centre, an important showcase for the microchip sector in Twente and the Netherlands. In it, industry, students and researchers work together on, for example, practical and research assignments. People also come into contact with the opportunities offered by the sector and the equipment used in and around ASML’s machines. In the set-up of the Semicon Learning Centre, companies’ assignments are central and business schools play an important role.