A total of 28 students from Abu Dhabi departed for Dresden and Singapore this week on an internship programme designed to provide hands-on experience at world-class semiconductor manufacturing facilities.

The Al Nokhba internship programme, sponsored by the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) and the Advanced Technology Investment Company (Atic), will be held at the facilities of Globalfoundries, the Atic-owned semiconductor manufacturing company.

This year 14 male students and 14 female students met the high standards required for entry into the program. Five of the 28 students are pursuing master degrees from international schools as well as Masdar Institute.

Mona Majed Al-Mansouri, Guidance and Scholarship division manager at Adec, pointed out that Al-Nokhba summer Internship Programme is considered a key initiative which comes in line with Abu Dhabi Economic Vision 2030 aiming to establish a knowledge-based economy.

“Adec is keen to offer several educational programmes and opportunities that would help enhance student performance & improve learning outcomes,” added Al-Mansouri.

“Through Al-Nokhba Program, Adec is eager to equip students with first-hand skills and knowledge in priority areas to include microchips, to boost their academic experiences and help them serve their country,” emphasised Al-Mansouri.

“The ongoing success of the Al Nokhba internship program is tremendously significant for Atic and Abu Dhabi,” said Khaled Al Shamlan, Head of Strategy and Operations at Atic.

“The hands-on experience these students gain will be invaluable when they one day have the opportunity to drive innovation in the industry. Establishing a strong backbone of UAE-National talent, moreover, is pivotal for the development and sustainability of a technology ecosystem here in Abu Dhabi.”

This is the fourth time consecutive program to be hosted in Dresden as part of the Al Nokhba program and the second time Globalfoundries’ Singapore facility has been included.

This year’s participants will spend the first week of the internship meeting the management team and gaining an appreciation for the culture of excellence that forms the basis of the modern industry.

The next stage will involve three weeks of interactive classroom training and team building exercises in which interns will learn in detail the intricate process of wafer fabrication. Students will end the programme with two weeks of on-site exposure, putting the past four weeks of learning to use as they observe and walk through the full process of the semiconductor supply chain - from bare silicon fabricating, equipment assembly to wafer testing.

During their time abroad, interns will also have the opportunity to participate in a full cultural activities programme.

The programme designers aim to tie these experiences with the broader internship to grow an appreciation of intercultural and interdisciplinary teamwork. According to the organizers, this intercultural teamwork is a critical success factor in operating a global manufacturing business.

Meaning the elite in Arabic, Al Nokhba builds on Atic’s central aim of promoting Abu Dhabi’s strategic development of the advanced technology sector, in particular the semiconductor industry. – TradeArabia News Service