A European pipeline for photonics talent

TU/e is one of the twelve partners participating in Phortify, which stands for PHOtonics education netwoRk for nexT-gen Innovation and digital skills excellence For industrY and society. ‘Together, we want to identify skill gaps, develop new educational methods to address these, and ultimately improve the number of skilled people in photonics,’ Humeyra Caglayan summarizes the aim of the project, adding that the project has a strong focus on promoting diversity and inclusion, with mentor programs and financial support like scholarships, fee waivers, and travel grants.

The 12 partners aim to create a single, European-wide photonics curriculum across seven Master’s programs and industry-designed modules. Phortify is looking to cover the full photonics value chain – from fundamentals to design, fabrication, packaging, testing, and deployment. It allows students to take up to 30 ECTS in their home program and graduate with a Phortify certificate alongside their degree. ‘At TU/e, we are responsible for developing these certificates,’ Caglayan comments.

Besides bringing in the courses that are currently part of TU/e’s Master programs in Applied Physics and Electrical Engineering, TU/e will also develop two new dedicated courses. ‘One of the missing skills we already identified has to do with micro- and nano-fabrication. The challenge there is that people need extensive training in a cleanroom, but in order for the cleanroom to stay clean enough, only a limited amount of personnel is allowed.’ That is why a virtual reality and challenge-based learning and training program for nanofabrication skills will be developed. ‘We want to provide the students with ample opportunities to try out things multiple times in VR to gain confidence before they enter the cleanroom in person.’

The second topic that will be addressed at TU/e is aimed at improving the optical design skills of the students. ‘We will develop optical demonstrator set ups the students can play around with in the classroom. These demonstrators will be aimed at topics like microscopy, optical metrology, or optical sensing.’

Beyond the Master’s level, Phortify will launch lifelong-learning, self-standing modules co-designed with industry for professionals looking to upskill via modular, stackable micro-credentials that target specific competencies without the need for lengthy career breaks. ‘Eventually, the project should result in an open-access digital platform, where industry, researchers and students can access high-quality photonics training,’ Caglayan concludes.