Semiconductor 'Convergence Major' to Train 100,000... Bootcamp Budget and Scale Undecided

3rd-4th Grade Students' 'Convergence Major' Bootcamp
Ministry of Education "Disagreement with Ministry of Economy and Finance over Project Scale"
Increasing Lectures Requires Semiconductor Teacher Supply
Concerns over Non-Capital Region Universities' Opposition to Expanding Quota by 5,700

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Park Soon-ae is making a presentation on the 'Talent Development Plan for Semiconductors' after the Cabinet meeting at the Government Seoul Office Building on the 19th.

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Universities and industry generally welcome the government's plan to train 150,000 semiconductor personnel but evaluate that some aspects lack specificity and realism.

The Ministry of Education's 'Semiconductor Talent Development Plan' centers on nurturing 150,000 semiconductor talents by 2031. The plan aims to cultivate 45,000 through new and expanded enrollment quotas and 105,000 through interdisciplinary majors for non-majors.

The 'Semiconductor Bootcamp,' proposed as a short-term interdisciplinary major training measure, did not specify concrete implementation scale or plans. Budget discussions with the Ministry of Economy and Finance have not been completed, and only the goal of 'active promotion' was presented. The Semiconductor Bootcamp is a program where universities and companies collaborate within universities to create curricula for third- and fourth-year students to complete about 20 weeks of training, eight hours a day. Upon completion, participants can receive a microdegree (specialized minor).

An official from the Ministry of Education said, "Since this is a newly established project, the Ministry of Economy and Finance is reviewing it carefully, and there are differing opinions on the project scale. We are preparing measures to deploy related talents as quickly as possible, but the number of personnel may vary depending on the budget size." Although 100,000 was mentioned as the scale of talent development through interdisciplinary majors, a closer look reveals that the project's implementation is not yet confirmed.

Talent development through interdisciplinary majors is a measure to reduce time lag, making securing faculty important. Salaries for semiconductor faculty are relatively high, and there is a shortage of faculty. If lectures are concentrated on a few faculty members, the quality of teaching inevitably declines. Professor Park Jae-geun of Hanyang University's Department of Convergence Electronics Engineering said, "A plan has been made to continuously train personnel through interdisciplinary majors in the short term and new and expanded enrollment in the long term, but ultimately, faculty recruitment and financial support must back this up. Even if professors handle basic education, retired researchers from companies should be actively utilized for specialized education."

Expansion of enrollment quotas will inevitably face opposition from non-metropolitan universities. The Ministry of Education plans to increase semiconductor enrollment by 5,700 over five years, including vocational high schools, universities, and graduate schools, but only presented the scale without dividing regions. The undergraduate enrollment quota is set to increase by up to 2,000, but 60% of this quota may be concentrated in metropolitan universities. According to a demand survey conducted by the Ministry of Education at the end of last month targeting 40 universities, 14 metropolitan universities expressed willingness to increase enrollment by 1,266 students, while 13 non-metropolitan universities indicated an intention to increase by 611 students.

Deputy Minister Jang Sang-yoon of the Ministry of Education explained, "It is not detailed which universities will increase enrollment and restructure by how many students by 2027; we will negotiate with universities based on rough target figures."

Although enrollment expansion is possible if the faculty recruitment rate is met, ultimately, enrollment must be increased through internal restructuring and transfer vacancies. Non-metropolitan universities struggling to secure faculty may lack the capacity to increase enrollment. The Ministry of Education plans to concentrate financial resources on regional universities and also announced the formation of a 'Regional University Development Special Council' as a measure to appease regional universities.

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