Samsung, SK, and POSCO to Train 3,000 Digital Talent Trainees Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Hyewon] Samsung, SK, and POSCO will double the number of trainees in digital talent development programs preferred by the youth to over 3,000 by next year. Samsung Electronics will recruit the most with about 2,300 trainees, while SK Hynix and POSCO will expand their training numbers to around 400 and 300 respectively.

The Ministry of Economy and Finance and Samsung Electronics recently held a working-level meeting at the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry on the 29th to discuss the expansion of the "Corporate Excellent Talent Development Program." This decision was made following the government's announcement of the "Second Half Economic Policy Direction" the previous day, aiming to expand the programs conducted by large corporations as part of their social contribution through a government-private partnership.

Samsung Electronics' SSAFY (Software Academy For Youth), SK Hynix's Youth High Five (Semiconductors), and POSCO's Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data programs are digital talent development initiatives favored by young people, consistently recording high application rates each recruitment cycle. These programs are not designed for prospective employees of the respective companies but aim to enhance job competencies so that young people can secure employment in digital-related companies they desire.

Under this partnership, companies will continue to autonomously plan and operate trainee and instructor selection and curriculum design as before, but the government will share part of the costs to maximize the scale of education. The total number of trainees across the three programs by Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix, and POSCO will be expanded to over 3,000 by next year, doubling from 1,500 last year. Samsung Electronics, which increased its trainees from 500 per cohort (twice a year) last year to 750 (5th cohort) in the first half and 950 (6th cohort) in the second half of this year, plans to further increase to 1,150 trainees per cohort starting next year. Additionally, on the 9th of next month, a new campus will be established in the Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam (Bu-Ul-Gyeong) region, and the training capacity at the Gumi and Gwangju campuses will also be expanded to strengthen regional education.

SSAFY, known as the "Samsung Youth Software Academy," is a one-year intensive program providing 1,600 hours of daily 8-hour training to cultivate software developers capable of immediate deployment in companies. It is highly popular due to its detailed support that connects "education" directly to "employment." Since its launch in December 2018, 2,087 trainees have graduated through four cohorts, with 1,411 securing jobs, achieving a 68% employment rate. SSAFY was created under the philosophy of Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong's "Together" initiative, emphasizing that "nurturing software talent is essential to expanding the IT ecosystem base. Even if difficult, we must plant seeds now for the future."

SK Hynix will separate job training from its existing Youth High Five program to create a new course, providing training to over 400 people annually. Recruitment and training for the new course will begin in the second half of this year. POSCO's AI and Big Data program is a specialized training course conducted in dedicated classrooms. After infrastructure expansion this year, the number of trainees, currently 200 per year, will be increased to 300 per year starting next year.

Government budget support for these programs will be arranged through future working-level consultations to establish specific support procedures and methods.

The government evaluated that this partnership is significant as it addresses the issue of undersupply of "high-quality public goods" provided by the business community not for profit but for public interest, by collaborating with the government to find solutions.

Furthermore, the government stated that through close cooperation with the operating organization, the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, it plans to expand participating companies and actively support the program to establish itself as an effective "Youth Digital Employment Platform" that connects young people with companies seeking to hire in the digital sector, going beyond merely providing educational programs.

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