Courses at the University of Bristol are to be supported by a leader in the supply of integrated circuits (IC), Phyworks.
The company has joined the Cadence Design Systems' Academic Network and will assist the Advanced Microelectronics Systems Engineering programme at the university.
According to the chief executive of Phyworks, Stephen King, such a move is addressing their employment issue, as experienced engineers are "increasingly hard to come by".
"By joining the academic network we have the opportunity to work more closely with the University of Bristol and to communicate real recruitment needs," Mr King said.
"Five years ago we wouldn't have necessarily considered hiring graduates straight from the university," he added.
As the south-west is known as Silicon Gorge, Phyworks is eager to produce more IC design graduates with improved employability skills and design knowledge.
The firm recently relocated to larger offices in the centre of Bristol.
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