SEFI President on the High Level Roundtable on Skills for the Microelectronics Sector

Yolande Berbers, president of SEFI, took part in the High-Level Roundtable on Skills for the Microelectronics Sector, on the 5th of October 2020. The round table was chaired by two Commissioners: Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Nicolas Schmit, and Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs Thierry Breton.

Commissioner Schmit set out the objectives behind the Pact for Skills and the accompanying Charter. Commissioner Breton explained the importance of skills to the industrial strategy. The participants to the round table came from a wide variety of stakeholders, and included CEO’s of large microelectronics companies (ASML, NXP, SOITEC, Melexis), regional technology clusters (Silicon Saxony, SEMI Europe), research and inoovation labs (CEA-LETI, imec), education (SEFI President and EFVET representative), and trade unions representatives (ETUC).

The main topic discussed were skills, including skills taught at universities or vocational education, as well as the need to upskill and reskill the workforce, of lifelong learning in the companies. Another topic was diversity, and how to attract more diverse people for working in the microelectronics sector, specifically women.

The discussion touched on multiple SEFI SIGs’ scope (attractiveness, diversity, skills, lifelong learning) which proved the high relevance of our Special Interest Groups.
The round table was convened to give input to both of the commissioners on these important topics and no decisions were made at this event.