Jo Joo-hyun, Vice Minister of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, "The Top Priority for System Semiconductors is Training and Supplying Skilled Professionals"

Visit to Seoul National University Semiconductor Joint Research Center

Cho Joo-hyun, Vice Minister

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (hereinafter referred to as the Ministry) announced that Vice Minister Jo Joo-hyun visited the Semiconductor Joint Research Institute at Seoul National University on the 26th to tour the semiconductor process education site and held a meeting with related personnel, including the head of the System Semiconductor Industry Promotion Center.

Following last month's 'Fabless Challenge' competition held in cooperation with Samsung Foundry to resolve the major difficulty of prototype production faced by small and medium fabless companies, this visit was arranged to gather opinions from stakeholders to address the shortage of manpower required in the semiconductor field on-site and to discuss the joint hosting of the 'System Semiconductor Specialized Workforce Job Fair' in November this year.

Fabless companies are technology-based sectors within the system semiconductor field and show innovation with emerging startups, indicating high growth potential; however, most are still small and medium enterprises with modest sales and operating profits. The Ministry has continuously pursued support policies to resolve major difficulties in funding, manpower, and win-win cooperation for fabless companies. Regarding the manpower shortage in fabless, since last year, a specialized semiconductor design course has been established for all grades at the National Meister High School (formerly Gumi Electronics Technical High School), and through industry-academia cooperation with semiconductor companies, 20 students have been employed at domestic fabless companies after completing the course.

Additionally, two contract departments for semiconductor SMEs are currently operated (Myongji University and Kongju National University), and two more will be newly established by the end of this year to cultivate mid- to high-level semiconductor specialists. Furthermore, starting next year, two semiconductor business units will be added to the 'Technical Officer Training Project,' which systematically trains field technicians and technical personnel for semiconductor SMEs through linked education between specialized high schools and junior colleges.

In November this year, the Ministry will co-host the 'System Semiconductor Specialized Workforce Job Fair' with Seoul National University. Not only fabless companies but also companies related to the system semiconductor industry can participate broadly, and students preparing for employment at National Meister High Schools, SME specialized high schools, contract departments, and technical officer business units will be pre-matched with companies to increase employment rates.

Vice Minister Jo said, "The most important task that must be prioritized and resolved on the system semiconductor site is the training and supply of specialized personnel," adding, "while steadily promoting the manpower training projects in the system semiconductor field under the Ministry's jurisdiction, we hope that the jointly held system semiconductor specialized workforce job fair this year will help alleviate the manpower shortage on-site."

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