The Twente region will train more than 1,600 extra talents for the microchip sector in the next five years. In the years after that, a further 480 students a year should be prepared for the labour market in this sector. This ambition is at the heart of Twente's plan for Project Beethoven, presented this week. Launched earlier this year, Project Beethoven involves a substantial investment in the Dutch microchip sector. The national government has earmarked 72 million euros for the Twente plans, with financial contributions also coming from the region.
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 will be an important carrier of the economy in the future. ASML is among the absolute world leaders in chip technology and has substantial growth ambitions. The entire chain, of which Twente is an essential part, must grow to achieve this. Companies like VDL ETG, Demcon, NTS Hengelo, Benchmark Electronics and Tecnotion are strategically essential 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, investing in technically skilled talent is necessary: 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, the labour market has a growing shortage of technically skilled personnel. 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, that position is 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 levels and includes various measures to retain talent.
Up to and including 2030, 1,640 extra students should enter technical study programmes. This should lead to a structural increase of 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.
There are also measures that in the short term will train additional potential from lateral entry and target groups currently less represented in the microchip sector through a Life-Long 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 to 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 the sector offers 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.
Powerful cooperation
‘Our offer is set up in good cooperation between businesses, educational institutions and other regional partners. This provides an important basis for achieving results and quickly implementing the plan. That is the strength of our cooperation in Twente,’ said Ank Bijleveld, chairman of the Twente Board. Moreover, housing opportunities for additional students and staff are available in Twente in the short term.
About Project Beethoven
Project Beethoven was launched earlier this year to strengthen the Dutch microchip sector. Within it, extra investments are being made in talent development: 450 million euros up to and including 2030 and after that, structurally 80 million euros per year. The aim is to train more technicians quickly for this sector, for instance, by recruiting and admitting more students and retraining more people.
As this is a national task, the government asked MBOs, HBOs and universities in four regions across the country (Groningen, Enschede, Delft and Eindhoven) to come up with a detailed plan together with the microchip sector. This resulted in a substantiated offer that was submitted in June this year. After consideration in the national direction group, 17 per cent of the total available budget of €450 million was reserved for Twente. The Twente plans will now be assessed to finally allocate the reserved amount of 72 million euros to the region.
