Lotte to Train 2,000 Experts for 'Digital Transformation'

Lotte employees participated in the data analysis course of the 'DT Talent Certification Program' held last May at a training center located in Yeoksam. (Photo by Lotte Holdings)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Lotte is actively stepping up efforts to cultivate internal experts to support the group’s digital transformation (DT) strategy.

On the 17th, Lotte Human Resources Development Institute announced that it has prepared a ‘DT Talent Development Plan’ for group employees and will officially launch expert training courses starting in December. The goal is to enhance the DT and IT capabilities of all employees to improve work efficiency and foster a digital mindset that prepares for change and innovation.

The DT talent development approach is based on two pillars: ‘reskilling’ (acquiring new skills) for non-DT job holders and ‘upskilling’ (improving proficiency) for DT job holders.

First, the reskilling program targets employees performing jobs with little or no relation to DT, such as sales, production, marketing, and business management, and is centered around the ‘DT Talent Certification System.’

The DT Talent Certification System involves about one year of online and offline learning courses followed by a certification evaluation to verify practical skills. The target job categories include software engineering, AI engineering, and data analysis. Among these, the data analysis course has been conducted via webinars since May with selected participants, while applications for the software engineering and AI engineering courses were accepted in early November, with courses starting in December.

The software engineering and AI engineering courses consist of a three-stage learning process, beginning with theoretical studies to understand IT and DT, followed by acquiring essential skills such as programming languages, application software implementation, AI fundamentals, and natural language processing technologies necessary for performing DT tasks.

Employees who pass the final certification evaluation after completing the course are recognized as possessing the minimum competencies required for the respective job roles. Depending on individual aspirations and company circumstances, they will be given opportunities for career development and job transitions.

For the two job categories (software and AI) whose recruitment ended in early November, about 500 applicants applied. Including the approximately 700 employees who took the existing data analysis course, a total of around 1,200 employees have participated in the DT Talent Certification System, demonstrating high interest. Lotte plans to expand the target job categories of the DT Talent Certification System to broaden the base of DT talent.

Upskilling, conducted for about 1,200 current employees performing DT tasks, is carried out through the ‘DT Talent Skill-Up Course.’ The target jobs include the three from the DT Certification System plus DT strategic planning, UX, and UI, totaling six job categories, focusing on cultivating experts capable of performing higher-level tasks.

To this end, participating employees receive individual competency levels (Mastery, Professional, Advanced, Basic, Entry) through job-specific level assessments and proceed with customized learning paths according to their levels. The DT Talent Skill-Up Course is scheduled to be rolled out sequentially starting in the first half of next year.

DT talents developed internally through reskilling and upskilling will play a role in building a ‘smart ecosystem’ that connects Lotte Group’s business value chain from manufacturing to logistics and distribution by integrating DT technologies.

Meanwhile, Lotte is continuously striving not only to cultivate internal experts but also to secure outstanding talent to lead digital transformation. In September, Lotte Information & Communication, Lotte Homeshopping, and Lotte Chilsung Beverage conducted new employee recruitment for the DT sector and have been focusing on attracting top talent by introducing DT roles through the group’s official recruitment YouTube channel.

Additionally, in October, Lotte held an ‘online hackathon’ competition in collaboration with ‘Like a Lion,’ a leading domestic online and offline programming education institution, awarding a total of 12 teams. Winners are granted benefits such as exemption from document screening and aptitude tests when applying for Lotte’s development positions in new employee recruitment until 2022, further securing excellent DT talent.

Yoon Jong-min, head of Lotte Human Resources Development Institute, said, “It is no exaggeration to say that Lotte’s business transformation based on DT depends on the DT capabilities of its employees. We plan to further develop the DT talent development courses to enhance employees’ DT and IT capabilities, contribute to Lotte’s business transformation, and provide opportunities for employees seeking new careers to become DT experts.”

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