KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is on the right track to achieve its target of producing 60,000 high-skilled talents in semiconductor sector-related fields by 2030, the Dewan Rakyat heard on Monday (Nov 17).
Deputy Investment, Trade and Industry Minister Liew Chin Tong said this covers the fields of integrated circuit design, advanced packaging, research and development and wafer fabrication.
“To date, a total of 13,679 engineers and technical experts have been successfully trained, their skills certified and absorbed into various segments of the semiconductor industry,” he said during the question and answer session at the Lower House here.
Liew was replying to a question from Khairil Nizam Khirudin (PN-Jerantut) regarding the number of highly skilled engineers trained and absorbed into the semiconductor industry since the launch of the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) and the level of collaboration between multinational chipmakers and public universities to meet the industry's workforce needs.
He said the NSS, launched in May 2024, has identified skilled talent development as a critical thrust in ensuring the sustainability and long-term competitiveness of the country's semiconductor industry.
“Among the universities and institutions involved in this effort are Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), Universiti Malaya (UM), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) as well as skills centres such as the Malaysian Institute of Microelectronic Systems Berhad (MIMOS) and the High Technology Training Centre (ADTEC),” he added.
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Under the Budget 2026, Liew said several talent development incentives for the semiconductor sector were also announced, with three million training opportunities focused on the high-tech sector, including in semiconductors under HRD Corp.
"K-Youth and TVET training programmes by Khazanah to provide on-the-job training to 11,000 youth without degrees in strategic sectors such as semiconductors, with an allocation of RM200mil.
"The Flagship IC Design Programme will also continue to train 2,500 world-class talents in the field of integrated circuit design with a value of RM340mil," he said.
Liew also added that several major multinational companies in the fields of chip design, fabrication and testing have been actively establishing strategic collaborations with public universities.
He said the collaboration involved the development of industry-based curriculum, the provision of high-tech laboratories, industry training support programmes and joint efforts in applied research focused on new generation semiconductor technologies.
"This approach will not only ensure the sustainability of the skilled workforce chain, but also enhance Malaysia's ability to become a regional hub in the development of world-class semiconductor human capital," he said.
