IC – Design Talents

In the BCDC, we are working in the IC - Design Talents pillar to strengthen competitiveness by expanding chip design expertise in Bavaria.

Our goal is to actively counteract the shortage of skilled workers by increasing the number of qualified specialists in chip design. To this end, we offer fast, certified further training for graduates, young professionals and company employees. Our "Applied Chip-Design" trainee programs are aimed at graduates in electrical engineering, related fields of study and career changers. With our "Chip-Design Experts" course program, we offer further training for engineers and designers with professional experience.  

As BCDC, we follow the Fraunhofer mission to train specialists in future technologies and can draw on many years of experience in practical training in both research and industrial projects. In theoretical training, we use our partnerships with leading universities and colleges as well as our connection to training and further education programs, e.g. from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the EU.

Another building block is the planned "Summer Schools", which are intended to provide students with initial training in chip design and generate enthusiasm for the subject.

From April 2026, the BCDC will launch its second round of practice-oriented trainee programs for Analog IC Design, Test & Validation, System Engineering and Digital IC Design.

The trainees will work on BCDC research and development projects, qualifying them as specialized design and engineering specialists.

Next start: April 1, 2026

Duration: 6 months 

Weekly working hours: 39 hours

Procedure:

Within six months, the trainees undergo practical training in which they work on real projects and acquire the necessary know-how for the profession of IC designer. In addition to practical skills, technical and interdisciplinary knowledge is taught in numerous training courses. A certificate examination takes place at the end.

Prerequisites: 

• Master's degree in electrical engineering or related courses such as physics, mathematics or medical technology.
• Team spirit, communication skills and ability to work independently

Application: 

Our trainee positions will be advertised s in our Fraunhofer IIS job portal from September 2025. 

If no positions are currently advertised, you can express your interest by sending an e-mail to Yevgeniy Itskovych. You will then be informed as soon as an application is possible.

Contents of trainee programs

Analog IC Design

Trainees in the Analog IC Design trainee program receive a comprehensive introduction to analog IC design and work on real projects under the guidance of experienced engineers. Practical experience is gained in the design, simulation, layout and verification of analog integrated circuits, with a focus on optimizing circuits in terms of power, speed and area efficiency.

In addition, there is the opportunity to work with other teams such as layout, test and product management, which fosters a collaborative working environment and provides insight into various aspects of semiconductor design.
 

Digital IC Design

Trainees on the Digital IC Design trainee program receive a comprehensive introduction to the front-end design of digital integrated circuits. You will work on real projects under the guidance of experienced engineers and gain practical experience in the modeling, simulation, synthesis and functional verification of digital systems.

A particular focus is on the application of hardware description languages such as Verilog and VHDL as well as an in-depth understanding of modern processor architectures, e.g. RISC-V. The aim is to efficiently analyze and optimize digital circuits in terms of performance, resource consumption and timing. In addition, there is the opportunity to work with other trainee teams such as Analog IC Design and System Engineering, which fosters a collaborative working environment and provides insights into various aspects of semiconductor design and system integration.

Test and Validation

Our Test and Validation trainee programme provides a comprehensive introduction to the characterization and testing of integrated circuits. The trainees work on real projects under the guidance of experienced engineers. Practical experience is gained in the use of state-of-the-art test equipment and methods, test setups (PCB, test code, etc.) are developed and the reliability and quality of IC product testing is prepared and ensured.

In addition, there is the opportunity to work with other teams such as IC design and product management, which fosters a collaborative working environment and provides insights into various aspects of semiconductor design.
 

System Engineering

Trainees on the System Engineering trainee program receive a comprehensive introduction to the system architecture and integration of chiplet-based systems. They work on real projects under the guidance of experienced engineers and gain practical experience in the specification, partitioning, co-design and verification of heterogeneously integrated systems.

In addition, there is the opportunity to work with interdisciplinary teams from IC design, packaging, test and product management, which fosters a collaborative working environment and provides valuable insights into various aspects of modern semiconductor systems and their manufacturing processes.

Targeted training for the semiconductor industry

Would you like to qualify your young employees or train existing colleagues in future-oriented technologies? Our trainee programs offer you the ideal solution.

Whether you are a start-up, small or medium-sized enterprise (SME) or large company - we support you in training specialists in a targeted and practical way.

Your advantages

• Complete training by experienced specialists at our location in Erlangen
  
• Practical qualification in real projects with state-of-the-art equipment
• Relief for your teams - no internal resources tied up in training
• Direct transfer of current knowledge to your projects

Our programs from October 1, 2025

• Analog IC design
  
• Test & Validation
• System engineering for chiplet heterointegration

Procedure & contents 

The trainee programs combine theory, practical exercises and work on real projects. Your employees will gain comprehensive insights into design, verification, testing and system integration and benefit from working with teams of experts in an innovative research environment.

Participation & costs

We will be happy to inform you of the participation fees on request. Places are limited.

Interested? Please contact us for a non-binding consultation by e-mail at Yevgeniy Itskovych. 

We are developing the exclusive Chip-Design-Experts training program especially for companies. This program offers industry the unique opportunity to benefit from the latest findings and expertise of Fraunhofer IIS.

Our training program includes hands-on courses that enable your employees to design state-of-the-art chips and sensors that meet the demands of the modern technology landscape.

We are convinced that this program will not only contribute to the professional development of your specialists, but also strengthen your company's ability to innovate and compete in the long term.

Below you will find our constantly growing range of training courses:

For beginners and experienced RFIC designers

Benefit from in-depth Fraunhofer know-how in the design of RF integrated circuits. In our hands-on course we share mainly internally developed knowledge: Methods for low-power and high-performance RFIC design, architectures for transmit and receive modules as well as the dimensioning of oscillators and PLL synthesizers. The course is aimed at experts who want to design and evaluate systems and circuits for integrated radio electronics and take them through to series production. 

Further information and registration can be found here: MicrotecAcademy