This Year, 2,233 Future Car Specialists Trained... More Than Double Increase

Ministry of Industry Invests 22.4 Billion KRW... Supporting All Stages Including Undergraduates, Employees, and Unemployed

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 2nd that it will support 22.4 billion KRW this year across all employment stages?from undergraduates to incumbent workers and the unemployed?to train 2,233 professionals in preparation for the automotive industry's transition to future vehicles.

The total support amount represents a 113.7% increase compared to last year's 10.5 billion KRW, with three new projects totaling 17.8 billion KRW newly established. The support scale was expanded to meet the surging demand for workforce development due to the paradigm shift from internal combustion engines to eco-friendly and autonomous future vehicles. Through this, the plan is to train more than double the workforce compared to last year's 930 people, reaching 2,233 individuals.

Specifically, bachelor-level talent will be expanded from 0 in 2021 to 720 in 2022, master's and doctoral-level talent from 30 to 173, and on-site workforce training from 900 to 1,340. Budgets of 9.1 billion KRW, 9.2 billion KRW, and 4.1 billion KRW will be allocated respectively.

First, to cultivate bachelor-level talent, a convergence education program related to future vehicles will be operated targeting 3rd and 4th-year undergraduate students in engineering departments such as automotive, mechanical, and computer engineering, along with field training and internships linked with companies and research institutes. In particular, focused education will be provided to future vehicle-related departments such as mechanical and electrical/electronic engineering, and the quantitative and qualitative expertise of graduates will be enhanced by linking with master's and doctoral programs.

For master's and doctoral-level talent, specialized education courses will be developed to secure core future vehicle technologies such as autonomous driving and eco-friendliness, and industry-academia projects tailored to corporate demand will be operated. Especially, vehicle software (SW) linked with artificial intelligence (AI) and big data in various forms, such as deep learning-based obstacle and driving environment recognition, has been selected as a specialized field.

Additionally, vocational training in future vehicle convergence and functional technologies, parts quality management, diagnosis, and maintenance will be conducted for on-site workers and middle-aged unemployed individuals wishing to transition or newly enter the future vehicle field. For automotive parts companies or general companies aiming to transition or newly enter the future vehicle sector, leader and practitioner education courses will be operated to support strengthening business transformation capabilities.

Park Jaeyoung, Director of Manufacturing Industry Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, stated, "It is essential to cultivate professionals to support the domestic automotive industry's workforce supply and demand and secure technological competitiveness related to future vehicles," adding, "We will continue to pay attention and provide support to nurture future vehicle talent to enhance corporate competitiveness."

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