Taiwan Faces Significant Skills Gap; Semiconductor Association Calls for Retraining Graduates

(CNA, Hsinchu, July 2) Alex Fan, Chairman of GlobalWafers, stated today that statistics show 40% of higher education graduates in Taiwan find jobs unrelated to their studies, indicating a severe skills gap. He urged the government to collaborate with industry and educational institutions. Johnsee Lee, CEO of the Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association (TSIA), suggested that graduates should undergo retraining to meet workplace demands.

The Pan Wen Yuan Foundation celebrated its 30th anniversary today with a technology forum, featuring a dialogue between Fan and Lee on the future challenges facing Taiwan's semiconductor industry.

Fan noted that while Taiwan's semiconductor advantages are becoming increasingly apparent, they also bring additional challenges and competition. Corporate managers must begin addressing external uncertainties and challenges such as geopolitics.

Fan added that artificial intelligence (AI) is entering a phase of explosive growth. Taiwan must also confront issues related to personnel management, as well as water, electricity, land, and labor. It is crucial to actively build resilience and pursue sustainability.

Regarding talent, Fan mentioned that Taiwan graduates approximately 250,000 university students annually. Due to the declining birthrate, there are currently about 100,000 newborns per year, projecting that university graduates will be fewer than 100,000 in 18 years.

Furthermore, Fan pointed out that 40% of higher education graduates secure jobs unrelated to their fields of study. He emphasized the significant skills gap in Taiwan and called for collaboration between the government, industry, and educational institutions.

Johnsee Lee stated that talent is the most critical factor for a nation's long-term leadership. Addressing the skills gap, he proposed retraining graduates to align with industry needs, as establishing or abolishing academic departments is quite difficult.

On attracting international talent, Lee commented that this is not solely an issue for schools. If the social environment is not conducive, even recruited students will not stay. A friendly immigration environment is essential.

Simon S.T. Shieh, Chairman of the Pan Wen Yuan Foundation, said in an interview that the foundation was established in 1996 with innovation and talent cultivation as its two core objectives. Today's celebration, themed "A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire," signifies that even with small individual efforts, collective determination can create a significant highlight in the AI era.

The Pan Wen Yuan Foundation presented the "Lifetime Achievement Award" to its special advisor, C.Y. Lu, in recognition of his long-term assistance and guidance in Taiwan's integrated circuit development program, which laid the foundation for the semiconductor industry. Chen Chien-jen, President of Academia Sinica, was invited to attend the award ceremony.

Additionally, the foundation presented the "Distinguished Contribution Award" to its CEO, David Liu, for his nearly 30 years of outstanding contributions to the foundation's development and management. The "Distinguished Leadership Award" was given to Hu Ding-hua, the chief principal investigator for Taiwan's introduction of RCA semiconductor technology program, for leading the integrated circuit technology development program that pioneered Taiwan's semiconductor industry.

The foundation presented the "Outstanding Legacy Award" to Yang Ping-ho, the chief team leader for Taiwan's introduction of RCA semiconductor technology program and Chairman of U-Net International Information Co., Ltd., for leading the team in introducing RCA's integrated circuit technology, thereby establishing the foundation for the integrated circuit industry. The "Excellent Inheritance Award" was presented to director Hsiao Chu-chen for documenting the development process and spirit of Taiwan's semiconductor industry through film. (Editor: Chang Chun-mao) 1150702

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