College Students Gain Work Experience While Earning Credits... Launch of the 'Wemeet Project'

Providing Opportunities for On-the-Job Experience in Digital New Technology Industries During Enrollment
Credit Awarded in Connection with Regular Curricular and Extracurricular Programs
Pilot Operation in Second Semester and Winter Session, Full Expansion from Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] Starting from the second semester, a project will be implemented that allows university students to gain job experience such as corporate mentoring and internships in the digital new industry sector while earning academic credits during their studies.

On the 7th, the Ministry of Education and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) will hold the launch ceremony of the "Career-Education-Employment Linkage Support Project (hereinafter the WeMeet Project)" at the KCCI Hall.

The WeMeet Project is a program in which the Ministry of Education, KCCI, universities, and companies collaborate to provide university students with work experience opportunities. It is linked with university curricula such as regular courses and extracurricular programs, and academic credits are also awarded.

Students will directly carry out problem-solving tasks proposed by companies based on the knowledge and skills learned at school, and through mentoring by incumbent employees and corporate internships, they will be able to build necessary job competencies and experience corporate culture.

In connection with the "Digital New Technology Talent Nurturing Innovation Shared University Project," five out of eight consortia (Next-generation Semiconductors, Big Data, Biohealth, Immersive Media, Future Automobiles) will participate in the WeMeet Project in cooperation with companies. SK Hynix participates in the next-generation semiconductor field, and AWS and MS participate in the big data field.

The Innovation Shared University Project is a program that develops and operates joint curricula among universities and fosters talent in connection with industries and research institutes. This year, the Ministry of Education is piloting the WeMeet Project as a detailed program of the Digital New Technology Innovation Shared University and supports up to 300 million KRW per consortium, totaling 1.5 billion KRW.

The Ministry of Education plans to pilot the WeMeet Project in the second semester and winter session this year and fully expand it from next year.

To support interactive communication and smooth execution between participating students and corporate employees, a dedicated WeMeet platform will also be operated. When students submit task execution plans and interim/final deliverables on the platform, the responsible employees provide feedback for revisions and improvements, allowing students to develop job competencies through this experience.

Students who complete tasks in the WeMeet Project will receive academic credits and a completion certificate issued by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry after the project ends. Separately, teams that achieve outstanding results will be selected and awarded.

Choi Chang-ik, Director of Industry-Academia Cooperation Policy at the Ministry of Education, said, "Through the Career-Education-Employment Linkage Support Project (WeMeet Project), we will actively support cooperation among universities, companies, and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry so that students can gain job-related experience and skills before employment and secure their desired jobs."

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