Blog

If you've ever wondered how to break into microelectronics — or wished you could ask someone who actually works in it — the Talent Foundry at Microelectronics UK 2026 is built for exactly that. Taking place on the morning of Day 2, it's a brand-new feature connecting students and early-career engineers directly with senior industry professionals, in a format designed to generate real conversations rather than rehearsed presentations.

The UK microelectronics sector is growing fast. With government investment in semiconductor strategy, a booming photonics industry, and embedded systems now embedded in almost everything — from electric vehicles to medical devices — demand for skilled engineers has never been higher. But breaking into the field can feel opaque. Career paths are rarely linear, and the gap between university and industry can be hard to navigate alone.

That's the problem the Talent Foundry is designed to solve.

What Is the Talent Foundry?

The Talent Foundry is a dedicated skills and mentoring experience running on Day 2 of Microelectronics UK 2026 — 30 September at Excel London. It takes place on the Talent Foundry Stage and brings together students, graduate engineers, and early-career professionals with a rotating group of experienced mentors from across the industry.

Rather than a lecture or a panel, it uses an interactive roundtable format — small groups, open questions, honest answers. Attendees rotate through sessions, each featuring a different set of mentors with different specialisms, backgrounds, and career journeys.

The Session Schedule

The Talent Foundry runs across three focused sessions on the morning of 30 September, each with a different group of mentors:

Each session features a different group of mentors, so there's real variety across the morning — and attendees can choose which sessions are most relevant to where they are in their career journey. Mentors will be announced soon.

Why You Should Make Time for the Talent Foundry

The Talent Foundry is open to students and early-career engineers attending Microelectronics UK 2026. If you're studying electronics, electrical engineering, photonics, computer science, or a related discipline — or if you're in your first few years in industry — this is one of the most useful things you can do with your morning at the show.

Here's what you'll get out of it:

• Explore real-world career routes into semiconductors, photonics, embedded systems and beyond
• Ask candid questions in a small-group setting — not a lecture theatre
• Hear honest insights into what companies actually look for when hiring early-career engineers
• Build meaningful connections with professionals who want to help
• Understand which skills are in demand and which directions the industry is moving
• Access the full show floor — 150+ exhibitors and 120+ speakers across 4 stages

And perhaps most importantly: you don't have to navigate it alone. The roundtable format means conversations happen naturally. You're not waiting to ask a question at a microphone — you're sitting at a table with people who've built careers in this industry and are genuinely there to share what they know.

Microelectronics UK 2026 at a Glance

The Talent Foundry sits within Microelectronics UK 2026 — the UK's leading exhibition and conference for the semiconductor and microelectronics industry, taking place on 29–30 September 2026 at Excel London.

The show brings together the entire UK microelectronics value chain across four specialist stages:

• Semiconductors UK — advanced materials, chip design, fab and supply chain
• Photonics UK — integrated photonics, sensing, communications and quantum
• Embedded Systems UK — real-time systems, edge AI, IoT and automotive
• Discovery Stage — live demos, hands-on workshops and technology showcases

In 2025, the inaugural event drew over 4,000 attendees, 150+ exhibitors and 100+ speakers from organisations including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, Intel, Jaguar Land Rover, European Space Agency, and more. The 2026 edition builds on that foundation with expanded programming, new features — and now, the Talent Foundry.

For Companies: Become a Mentor

The Talent Foundry also presents a significant opportunity for companies and individual experts who want to engage with the next generation of UK microelectronics talent.

Participating as a mentor gives you direct, early access to emerging talent — well ahead of traditional graduate recruitment channels. It's also a genuine demonstration of your organisation's commitment to workforce development and knowledge-sharing, at a time when the UK talent pipeline for microelectronics is a national priority.

Spaces are limited. To register your interest in participating as a mentor, email ruby.fenn@iqpc.co.uk.

How to Get Access

Student tickets to Microelectronics UK 2026 are free. Registering gives you full access to the show — all four stages, the full exhibitor floor, networking, and of course, the Talent Foundry sessions on Day 2.

Head to the Microelectronics UK registration page to claim your free Student ticket and secure your place at the Talent Foundry before spaces fill up.