Goal 17 And UKESF Join Forces To Build The UK's Next Generation Of Electronics Talent
Sep 28, 2026
The UKESF Mentoring Programme, funded by the UK government, will connect hundreds of undergraduate students with experienced professionals across the UK's electronics and semiconductor industry.
Goal 17, a UK-based social impact organisation dedicated to supporting vulnerable people, today announced a new strategic partnership with the UK Electronics Skills Foundation (UKESF) to deliver a national mentoring programme for students entering the semiconductor and electronics sector.
The partnership marks a new direction for Goal 17. Best known for mentoring care-experienced young people, this is the organisation's first venture into the electronics industry, applying a life-changing model to a new challenge: enhancing the pipeline of skilled talent entering a sector that's critical to the UK's economy.
The UKESF Mentoring Programme is funded by the UK government as part of the Semiconductor Talent Award. Goal 17 has been appointed as UKESF's specialist mentoring delivery partner, responsible for mentor recruitment, training, safeguarding and matching, as well as overseeing the programme's ongoing delivery. Volunteers will be drawn from UKESF's scholar network, member companies, partner universities and the wider TechWorks community.
The UK's semiconductor and electronics sector is central to the country's technological and economic future, but like much of the industry globally, it faces a well-documented skills shortage - a 2025 UK government workforce study found the industry could face annual shortages of almost 1,450 technical workers, with more than 900 of those in design-related roles alone.
This partnership is a direct and practical response: pairing students with experienced mentors from across the sector to build confidence, open doors and provide genuine insight into the industry from people already working in it.
Mentors receive full, university-accredited training before being matched with a small group of students. They'll meet with their group once a term for the first two terms, then individually in term three, with additional messaging support available throughout - helping their students grow and nurturing the future of the industry in the UK.
“The UKESF is all about taking positive action to tackle the skills shortage, and our partnership with Goal 17 on the mentoring programme for this year’s Semiconductor Talent Award is a perfect example of that commitment" says Stuart Edmondson, CEO of the UKESF. "By combining our sector knowledge with Goal 17’s award-winning mentoring expertise, we are providing our students with invaluable, real-world guidance at an important stage of their professional development. This collaboration doesn't just support individual students—it helps us shape the next generation of engineers and chip designers and ensure we have a secure a robust, sustainable, talent pipeline for the future of the UK semiconductor industry.”
The UKESF Mentoring Programme launches in September 2026. To find out more about the programme and partnership, please visit https://www.ukesf.org/ukesf-mentoring-programme/.