Fukuoka Institute of Technology has partnered with Taiwan's Ming Hsin University to start a collaborative semiconductor education program. The university is a world leader in semiconductor education, and will implement a credit-exchange type education program to nurture practical core human resources who can play an active role in Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturers and Japanese semiconductor-related companies expanding into Kyushu.
Ming Hsin University of Science and Technology is located near Hsinchu Science Park, known as Taiwan's Silicon Valley, and in 2021 established the first semiconductor department in Taiwan. In particular, the university trains personnel who specialize in assembly, testing, and inspection, which are called "post-processing" in the semiconductor manufacturing process, and has a cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing line on campus. The university also conducts "Semiconductor Inspection Process Appraiser" examinations, which are licenses for engineers involved in semiconductor manufacturing, with the Taiwanese government and companies. At Powertech Technology Inc., a global semiconductor manufacturer with which the university is affiliated, 10% of employees (5% of management positions) are graduates of Ming Hsin University of Science and Technology.
In this program, Fukuoka Institute of Technology students acquire basic knowledge of semiconductors and Chinese language skills in their first to third years, and then study abroad at Ming Hsin University of Science and Technology for a short period in their second year. In their fourth year, they replace their usual "graduation research" with one year of study at Ming Hsin University of Science and Technology, where they learn at Ming Hsin University's advanced semiconductor education facilities, as well as experience an internship at a Taiwanese semiconductor company.
He is also taking the exam to become a "Semiconductor Inspection Process Appraiser." His goal is to learn cutting-edge semiconductor technology at a company's workplace while acquiring the skills and knowledge needed to meet the needs of the semiconductor industry.
In the 2024 academic year, students from the Department of Electronic and Information Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, went on a short-term study abroad program to Ming Hsin University of Science and Technology from August 8th, where they studied semiconductor engineering with local students and participated in short-term internships at semiconductor-related companies in Taiwan. A long-term study abroad program is expected to start as early as the 4 academic year.
In Kyushu, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the largest semiconductor contract manufacturer, has established a presence in Kumamoto Prefecture, while Sun Moon Investment Holdings (ASE), Taiwan's largest semiconductor back-end processing contractor, is planning to establish a presence in Kitakyushu City. Not only semiconductor manufacturers, but also many other companies involved in testing equipment, materials, and manufacturing equipment are expected to establish operations there, and it is expected that this will have an economic effect of approximately 2030 trillion yen by 20.
