SMEs Ministry Launches "Smart Manufacturing Talent Development Program"

Approximately 480 Leading Smart Manufacturing Companies to Be Selected

The Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced on May 19 that it is seeking companies to participate in the "Smart Manufacturing Talent Development Program" to help resolve workforce shortages in small and medium-sized manufacturing sites.

The Ministry has achieved results such as accelerating the digital transformation and increasing productivity of SMEs by promoting more than 38,000 smart factories. However, opinions have been raised on the manufacturing floor that companies are struggling to hire due to a lack of skilled personnel and the burden of costs. In response, the Ministry has incorporated this field feedback and launched a supplementary project this year to establish a field-oriented workforce development system.

The "Smart Manufacturing Talent Development Program" recruits both leading smart manufacturing companies and individuals with specialized knowledge in smart manufacturing, offers them specialized training, and connects them to companies for internship opportunities at smart manufacturing firms.

Leading smart manufacturing companies—including those that have adopted smart factories and those developing or supplying manufacturing AI solutions—will be comprehensively evaluated in terms of their smart manufacturing capabilities, employment appeal, and potential for employment linkage. Approximately 480 companies will be selected. These selected companies will be assigned professional interns, and a portion of the labor costs incurred during the internship period will be subsidized.

Additionally, seven project groups, each solely responsible for education management, talent matching, and internship oversight, will be separately selected. These groups will be in charge of recruiting trainees and operating training programs in each region.

Kwon Sunjae, Director of Regional Business Policy at the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, stated, "Through the smart manufacturing workforce development system that connects education, matching, and employment, we will foster and supply skilled personnel in a timely manner," adding, "We will actively support efforts to resolve workforce shortages in the SME manufacturing sector and provide quality jobs to young people and other job seekers."

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