Training high-tech human resources: Combining internal and external resources

By 2030, the Government has determined that science, technology and innovation will develop steadily, contributing to making Vietnam a developing country with modern industry, self-reliance and technological competitiveness in key areas where our country has needs, potential and advantages. To achieve this goal, the problem of high-tech human resources is a key issue, which is being actively implemented by higher education institutions.

Students of Biotechnology, University of Natural Sciences (VNU-HCM) during a practical class

Cooperate with businesses

According to Dr. Andrea Coppola, economist of the World Bank in Vietnam, one of the challenges that Vietnam must overcome to achieve the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045 is human resources. On May 11, 2022, the Prime Minister issued Decision 569/QD-TTg on the Strategy for Science, Technology and Innovation Development to 2030, with the goal of training about 15,000 microchip design engineers from now to 2030. This is a challenging goal but also an opportunity if Vietnam has strong investment from the state level, and at the same time strengthens cooperation with businesses to promote training, research and development, and expand the scale of training in STEM fields (including science, engineering, technology, and mathematics). In particular, Vietnam needs a sustainable and long-term commitment, because building this human resource requires a stable and significant supply from undergraduate, postgraduate, and practical training.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Vu Hai Quan, Director of the Vietnam National University (VNU) Ho Chi Minh City, VNU Ho Chi Minh City is a university system with 8 universities, 1 member research institute, with the largest training scale in the country with about 100,000 undergraduate and graduate students. VNU Ho Chi Minh City has a vision to become a top research university system in Asia by 2045, a place where talents converge and spread Vietnamese knowledge and culture. On that basis, VNU Ho Chi Minh City always considers cooperation with businesses as one of the important activities to increase resources, contributing to the successful implementation of the development strategy. In particular, in the development strategy for the period 2021-2030, VNU Ho Chi Minh City has identified 3 key areas of training and research for the fields of Semiconductor Technology, Biotechnology, and Artificial Intelligence.

Taiwan (China) is a global leader in microchip and semiconductor technology. Professor Hsi-Pin Ma, Director of the Microchip Design Technology Center, National Tsinghua University (Taiwan), shared: Taiwan currently has a Microchip Development Association to support cooperation in developing microchip technology. This support is linked to universities as well as businesses to develop human resources. Students are taught and practiced at chip manufacturing enterprises. This is considered the output standard for microchip technology engineers. Along with that, the government provides financial support, educational agencies mobilize experts and businesses to participate in designing and building standard training programs for the microchip technology industry.

Mobilizing resources

According to Mr. Shin Choong-il, Consul General of the Republic of Korea in Ho Chi Minh City, the semiconductor industry, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, smart systems and eco-friendly issues will become the pillars of the world's future industries. And human resources are the greatest assets for the future of countries. In June 2023, the President of the Republic of Korea visited Vietnam, sending a message of support for investment in high-tech industries and high-tech human resources in Vietnam. This message was reinforced during Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh's visit to Korea in July 2023.

Meanwhile, Ms. Susan Burns, US Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, said: In September 2023, when visiting Vietnam, President Joe Biden signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation on developing supply chains, human resources, and the semiconductor technology ecosystem in Vietnam. At the same time, through the support and cooperation program between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and VNU-HCM and other Vietnamese universities, the United States will continue to improve human resource capacity to meet the requirements of the new economy.

On the business side, Mr. Kenneth Tse, CEO of Intel Vietnam, informed: Intel Vietnam is the largest chip assembly, testing and packaging factory today. Therefore, human resources are a matter of survival for Intel. From 2010-2016, Intel has built a scholarship program and trained about 9,000 Vietnamese engineers who are currently working at the factory. In the coming period, Intel hopes to continue to expand cooperation with Vietnamese universities to participate in supporting scholarships and training semiconductor chip human resources.

Mr. Trinh Thanh Lam, Business Director, Synopsys South Asia Company (part of Synopsys Company - USA), said: In March 2024, Synopsys Vietnam signed a cooperation agreement with Ho Chi Minh City National University on human resource development for the field of microchip design and semiconductor technology. In Vietnam, there are currently more than 600 Vietnamese engineers working for the company. In the development strategy for the coming time, Synopsys Company will open another center in Ho Chi Minh City and need many engineers and experts in microchip and semiconductor technology. Along with that, Synopsys Company hopes to cooperate with universities to grant scholarships, select excellent students to undergo internship programs at Synopsys, and then recruit engineers through this program.

THANH HUNG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/dao-tao-nhan-luc-cong-nghe-cao-ket-hop-noi-luc-va-ngoai-luc-post758660.html