The government will relax regulations to support universities in its effort to foster talent in the semiconductor sector to the tune of 150-thousand skilled workers over the next ten years.

Several ministries on Tuesday announced a joint plan designed to increase expertise in the chip industry. The education ministry has been leading a special task force to uncover policies that facilitate the goal, one of which includes raising student quotas at universities that meet specific requirements.

Industry analysts forecast the chip sector, currently employing about 177-thousand workers, will grow to a 304-thousand-strong force in ten years.

To prepare for this market growth, the government will allow universities to increase student quotas for academic departments involving the high-tech sector as long as a sufficient number of teaching staff is maintained.

Regulations dictating qualifications required by adjunct or visiting professors in high-tech sectors will also be eased.

The government will also revise curricula at vocational high schools, while 20 universities will be designated as schools with undergraduate or graduate programs specializing in semiconductors.

Such measures will help increase student quotas in chip-related majors by as many as 57-hundred, including two thousand at the undergraduate level.