NMRC: Partnership with Industry - Industrial Training & Education

The current worldwide shortage of skilled people is now recognised as the key-limiting factor to growth in the ICT industry. NMRC is involved in a number of initiatives both to address specific skills shortages in selected areas of the ICT sector and to ensure the availability of skilled personnel in future emerging ICT fields. These initiatives include full-time and part-time undergraduate and post-graduate programmes, industry- wide technical support groups and industry skills groups. Looking towards future generations, activities to promote science and technology in the second-level educational system are being developed.

NMRC Trains Postgraduates for Irish Industry

Mr. Gerry Donovan, Marketing Director BOC Gases Ireland presenting the 1999 BOC Gases Postgraduate Bursary to Sarkar Mahbub Akhter, NMRC IC Design course for industry at NMRC

NMRC is the premier training and education facility in ICT related technologies in Ireland. Currently, the centre hosts a total of 98 full-time and part-time (industry- sponsored) postgraduate places, which is the largest body of postgraduates in any research centre in the country. A recent survey of past graduates has shown that over 350 students have graduated from NMRC of which over 50% are currently working in Ireland with an increasing number of foreign-based NMRC graduates now returning to take up employment with companies in Ireland. It is pleasing to see the growth in the number of engineers and scientists from industry participating in the part-time post-graduate programmes, reflecting the relevance of NMRC training programmes to industry. More than 50 staff have been sponsored by Irish companies on these programmes. Participating companies have included:- Analog Devices, Artesyn Technologies, BCO Technologies, EMC, Farran Technology, General Semiconductor, M/A-Com Eurotec, Mentec and SSL.

NMRC Addresses Design Skills Shortage in ICT Sector
Within the ICT sector in Ireland, there is currently a critical shortage of engineers with integrated circuit design skills. During 1999, NMRC was instrumental in the establishment of the IC Design Skills Group consisting of over 30 representatives from Irish industry, the industry development agencies and the Universities with the aim of addressing this skills shortage. NMRC has responded to the initiative by developing three new Digital IC Design courses aimed at complementing companies' in- house training programmes during the coming year.

EMC installed a large area scanning acoustic microscope in its facility as a result of experience gained using NMRC facilities

Training Places on Industry Courses
NMRC has been presenting training courses on both Semiconductor Processing and IC Design to the electronics industry for a number of years. Over the last 5 years, over 200 places have been offered to over 50 companies from both Ireland and Europe. Irish companies participating on the courses during the year have included:- Air Products, BOC, Dell Computers, EMC Computer Systems, FÁS Training Centre (Cork), GSI, IBM, Silicon & Software Systems and Zandar Technologies.

A new range of training courses is to be made available to industry in the coming year, including the following:-

• Semiconductor Processing Technologies.
• Advanced Electronics Assembly Technologies.
• Product Reliability Assessment & Failure Analysis.
• Thermomechanical Analysis & Characterisation of Microelectronic Assemblies.
• IC Design Courses including Digital IC Design & VLSI Layout and Simulation.

NMRC and SMART Group Ireland in 1999

An Tanaiste, Mary Harney, TD, Minister for Enterprise & Employment at the presentation of the 1999 SMART Group Ireland Award Winners

SMART Group Ireland, established in 1987, supports the Irish electronics industry through the organisation of seminars and workshops on relevant technical and business issues. With a membership of over 125 companies, NMRC plays a key role by hosting the secretariat. To date, the Group has organised more than 60 seminars offering over 500 training places in 50 company locations throughout the country. During 1999, seminars were held in Celestica, General Semiconductor, NMRC and the Nepcon Ireland Exhibition. Topics covered included proposed new regulations on waste from electrical and electronic equipment, electronic manufacturing for the next millennium, rework of electronic assemblies, CE marking directives, EMI shielding, lead-free soldering and reduction of unit manufacturing costs.

On a sad note, we would like to record the passing of one of the founding members and past chairpersons of the Group, Declan Clear, and acknowledge his contribution to the development of the Group over the last 12 years.
Ar dheis Dé a anam.

Interaction with Irish Third Level Institutions
The National Research Support Fund Board, which is a joint initiative between the Office of Science and Technology and Enterprise Ireland, sponsors the NMRC Facility Usage Scheme (FUS) with the objective of promoting usage of the Centre’s research facilities by higher education institutions in Ireland. The programme has sponsored over 20 projects from Irish Universities and Institutes of Technology including TCD, UCD, UCG, UL, DCU and CIT. During 1999, FUS projects were funded in Thin Film Electroluminescent Displays using Sol-Gel Processing (Dublin City University) and Material Characterisation of Shallow Junctions (Trinity College Dublin). It is anticipated that the programme will be expanded in the coming year to facilitate access to the National Nanofabrication Facility at NMRC.

Prof. G.T. Wrixon and Dr. G. Kelly of NMRC (author) at the launch of his book which deals with Thermomechanical Simulation of Plastic IC Packages.