VLSI, EDA and embedded design — the classroom path already exists, and India is good at it.
EDA-equipped institutions
~20% of the world's chip-design talent · already here
Assembly, test & packaging (OSAT/ATMP) — hands-on, and almost no one trains it.
The workforce gap by 2027
Before choosing one, it helps to know which side of the industry it actually prepares you for.
VLSI and embedded-design courses are widely available. National support is strong: the C2S programme targets 85,000 design engineers, ~315 institutions are equipped with EDA tools (targeted to 500 under ISM 2.0), and India already holds roughly 20% of the world's IC-design talent.
Hands-on assembly, test & packaging courses are scarce, because they need real equipment, process exposure and trained faculty. Yet under 3% of engineers are considered semiconductor-ready, and the approved factory build-out is concentrated here. This is the under-served path.
Not slides — a working back-end line. Learners run the real process flow stage by stage. (For the process itself, see the OSAT & ATMP explainer.)
Setup, alignment, and the parameters behind each operation — not just pushing the button.
Recognising faults and recovering from them, built through deliberate fault practice.
Electrical test and quality checks — the discipline that makes output shippable.
A progression from operator up to trainer, so institutions can sustain delivery themselves.
A three-month, hands-on operator programme — the core certificate for working the line.
The step up: deeper process, basic maintenance, and quality logic.
Train-the-trainer, so one trained cohort can teach thousands of students.
Certification is designed to be NSQF-aligned and plant-linked for placement. Exact module structure is developed with each institution.
ITI, diploma and engineering students in electronics and allied streams who want to enter the manufacturing side of the industry, and institutions looking to add a real, employable skilling track.
The ATMP/OSAT units coming online recruit operators and technicians locally. Plant-linked courses place graduates fastest — the proof point that makes a programme credible.
The reason hands-on ATMP courses are rare is simple — they need a real training line, trained faculty, and a recognised certificate. That's exactly what we help institutions build: Fidus advises on the model, funding and academic fit; our technology partner Brain Domain enables the line and the programme.
Broadly two: design/VLSI courses (widely available, well-supported) and hands-on manufacturing courses in assembly, test & packaging (OSAT/ATMP), which are scarce.
Yes — a hands-on operator programme (typically ~three months) that trains people to run the back-end line. These are the courses in shortest supply.
They're designed to be NSQF-aligned — a recognised national skills credential — and ideally plant-linked for placement.
India's current build-out is concentrated in manufacturing (ATMP/OSAT), and those units hire locally. Design is comparatively well-served already.
We help institutions build credible ATMP/OSAT skilling — from model to launch.
