Pohang City, '3+2+2' Regional Linked Degree System... Agreement for Secondary Battery Talent Development

Signed Agreement for Secondary Battery Industry Workforce Training with Local Universities, Meister High Schools, and Related Organizations

Pohang, the World's No.1 Cathode Material Producer, to Expand to 1 Million Tons by 2030 Leading Global Super

Pohang City has decided to collaborate with local universities, Meister high schools, and related organizations to establish an educational system for nurturing excellent talent in the secondary battery sector.

On the afternoon of the 7th, about 30 people from local universities, Meister High Schools, and related organizations attended a business agreement signing at Handong University to foster human resources for the secondary battery industry in Pohang City.
[Image source=Pohang City]

On the 7th, Pohang City signed a business agreement for training manpower in the secondary battery industry at Handong Global University’s All Nations Hall, attended by about 30 people including Kwon Hyuk-won, Director of the Job and Economy Bureau; Choi Do-sung, President of Handong University; Kwak Jin-hwan, President of Sunrin University; Lee Seong-ryeol, Principal of Jecheol Technical High School; Bae Young-ho, Director of Pohang Technopark; Song Kyung-chang, Director of Gyeongbuk Economic Promotion Agency; and Kim Jong-su, Director of the Korea Productivity Center Gyeongbuk East Branch.

The agreement involved Pohang City, Handong University, Sunrin University, Jecheol Technical High School, Pohang TP, Gyeongbuk Economic Promotion Agency, and the Korea Productivity Center Gyeongbuk East Branch. In particular, through a ‘3+2+2 linked education’ system?3 years at Meister high school, 2 years for an associate degree, and 2 years for a bachelor’s degree?they agreed to mutually cooperate to systematically nurture technical personnel in the field by preparing specialized education and degree acquisition support plans for prospective hires and current employees of secondary battery companies.

This agreement aims to supply excellent talent to local secondary battery companies following the designation of the secondary battery specialized complex, and it is expected to serve as a solid stepping stone for attracting the secondary battery specialized complex.

Pohang City has been the most proactive in fostering the secondary battery industry in Korea, preemptively establishing core infrastructure such as the next-generation battery recycling regulatory free zone designation and the secondary battery integrated management center.

Key anchor companies in the domestic and international secondary battery sector, including POSCO Future M, are gathering around Yeongilman Industrial Complex and Blue Valley Industrial Complex, with confirmed investments in the secondary battery field totaling 14 trillion KRW by 2027.

In particular, Pohang is the world’s number one city in cathode material production, the most important secondary battery material. By 2030, it is expected to produce 1 million tons of cathode material, with sales reaching 70 trillion KRW. When adding sales from other secondary battery materials besides cathode material, the total is expected to far exceed 100 trillion KRW.

The city emphasizes that “Pohang’s cathode material competitiveness is the competitiveness of Korea’s secondary battery industry,” and plans to devote full efforts to all-out attraction activities, including a pan-citizen resolution rally, to secure the designation of the secondary battery specialized complex, which is scheduled for final selection by the government in July.

Kwon Hyuk-won, Director of the Job and Economy Bureau, said, “This agreement was a pledge to strengthen cooperation among related organizations for manpower development as important as secondary battery companies and to work together until the end to attract the secondary battery specialized complex.” He added, “We will do our best to make Pohang a global secondary battery hub city based on the designation of the secondary battery specialized complex.”

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