China tackles chip talent shortage with new courses, higher pay

SHANGHAI, March 29 (Reuters) – China is ramping up efforts to develop home-grown semiconductor talent as it seeks to rapidly fill a shortage of expertise that has been made worse by U.S. efforts to limit Beijing’s access to advanced chip technology. Enrolments for undergraduate and post-graduate courses have surged over the past five years thanks to new funds for top universities as well as a boom in smaller private schools focused on shorter-term instruction. Some graduates with degrees in other subjects are being lured into the growth industry at a time when entry-level salaries have doubled. “The prospect of the…