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At 28, Yun-Ting Huang had spent five years building a career in real estate. Her performance had earned her a recruitment offer for a managerial role at a property developer. Then an involuntary job loss prompted her to rethink her future.

Today, the ethnology graduate from National Chengchi University is a project engineer at Tong Hsing Electronic Industries, Ltd. Her transition was supported by a semiconductor training program jointly offered by National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) and Taiwan’s Workforce Development Agency.

Her experience illustrates how targeted training can help people from different academic and professional backgrounds enter the technology sector as demand for talent grows.

Established in 2022, the Semiconductor and Key Technology Industries Talent Development Base is a collaboration between NYCU and the agency’s Taoyuan-Hsinchu-Miaoli Regional Branch under the Ministry of Labor. It has trained nearly 1,000 participants, with half entering semiconductor and related technology industries. About one-third of participants have come from other fields.

Building a New Career From the Ground Up

Huang’s interest in semiconductors began during her real estate career, when conversations with clients working in the industry gave her a glimpse of its prospects. But entering the field proved difficult. Without a science or engineering degree, she faced repeated setbacks in her job search. Determined to make the transition, she enrolled in the base’s professional training program in semiconductors and AI applications.

Guided by NYCU professors and industry instructors, Huang studied semiconductor fundamentals, manufacturing processes and cleanroom practices. The structured coursework gave her a foundation for navigating an unfamiliar industry.