Samsung Electronics Holds Untact Graduation Ceremony for 'Samsung Youth Software Academy'

Samsung Youth Software Academy 2nd batch trainees are practicing software development in teams at the Daejeon Education Center in January. (Photo by Samsung Electronics)

[Asia Economy Reporter Changhwan Lee] Samsung Electronics announced on the 24th that it held the graduation ceremony for the 2nd class of the 'Samsung Youth Software Academy (SSAFY)' at the Seoul Multi-Campus Education Center.

Considering the COVID-19 situation, the number of on-site attendees was minimized to about 50 students, and the ceremony was conducted as an 'untact' event connecting approximately 250 students from four regions nationwide?Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, and Gumi?through an interactive online platform.

The Samsung Youth Software Academy is a program launched by Samsung Electronics in 2018 as part of the 'Economic Revitalization and Job Creation Plan' to expand the domestic IT ecosystem base and enhance youth employment competitiveness.

At the graduation ceremony, attended by Lee Jae-gap, Minister of Employment and Labor, and Choi Yoon-ho, President of Samsung Electronics' Management Support Office, awards such as the Minister of Employment and Labor Award and the Samsung Electronics CEO Award were presented to outstanding students based on comprehensive evaluations.

Gong Hyun-ah from the Gwangju Education Center, who joined online, said, "I majored in Business Administration and did not know software, but now I have become a developer with logical thinking skills." She added, "I will continue to grow as a developer, using my experience at the Samsung Youth Software Academy as a stepping stone."

Minister Lee Jae-gap stated, "I hope you will realize your dreams as IT talents based on the software capabilities you acquired at the Samsung Youth Software Academy."

President Choi Yoon-ho remarked, "With the passion and effort shown over the past year, you will succeed in any situation," and added, "I look forward to seeing you thrive worldwide as excellent software talents in the era of the 4th Industrial Revolution."

The Samsung Youth Software Academy began training 500 selected students for the 2nd class starting in July last year. Despite the challenging job market due to COVID-19, about 180 students achieved early employment at IT, telecommunications, and financial companies such as Naver, Kakao, SK Holdings C&C, Shinsegae I&C, Hyundai AutoEver, Shinhan Bank, and Samsung Electronics.

Among the 500 students who completed the 1st class after one year of training starting in December 2018, more than 350 have successfully found employment to date.

Samsung Electronics switched on-site education to online starting late February due to the spread of COVID-19. The company quickly established online class infrastructure and utilized video conferencing platforms to enable interactive communication between instructors and students, maintaining the quality of on-site classes.

Additionally, high-performance laptops and practice kits were delivered to students. In April, items such as red ginseng, probiotics, masks, and hand sanitizers were sent to their homes as encouragement.

Meanwhile, in August last year, Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong visited the Samsung Youth Software Academy Gwangju Education Center to check on operations and encourage the students.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.