Minister Kim made these remarks during a meeting focused on semiconductor workforce development held at the Korea Photonics Technology Institute in Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Special City. The meeting included representatives from local semiconductor companies, the integrated special city, and relevant workforce development organizations.
This meeting was a follow-up to the national report meeting on the three mega projects held on June 29, where investment plans for semiconductor fabs by Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix were announced. The ministry organized this meeting to gather input on the training of practical personnel for local semiconductor companies and to discuss collaboration between academia and industry.
Participants unanimously agreed on the need for practical personnel in various fields, including semiconductor design, fab construction, automation equipment installation, cleanroom construction, and equipment operation and maintenance. They stressed the importance of creating a local semiconductor workforce development ecosystem.
In response, Minister Kim stated, "Given the diverse and large-scale demand for practical personnel, we must prepare the foundation for local semiconductor talent development in advance." He highlighted the importance of actively supporting capability development projects to establish a semiconductor workforce ecosystem.
He also mentioned, "We will proactively identify the necessary workforce demand and provide comprehensive policy support for programs like Polytech, joint training centers, and K-Digital Training." He added that collaboration among relevant agencies is crucial for creating a semiconductor workforce ecosystem and that the ministry will actively support the autonomy and flexibility of vocational skills development projects for effective local semiconductor workforce training.
Furthermore, he announced plans to designate major local companies and universities as additional semiconductor joint training centers to ensure that large and small enterprises within the supply chain can thrive together. Training will be provided on-site for current employees and prospective hires of partner companies.
Minister Kim expressed his commitment to closely examine the situation of vocational high schools and universities in the semiconductor field, ensuring that young people from vocational schools can secure jobs in semiconductor companies while obtaining relevant degrees. He emphasized that the public technical training institution, Polytech, will be utilized to train personnel who can immediately contribute in the field.
He concluded by stating that the Ministry of Labor will support the Gwangju-Jeonnam Integrated Special City in proactively securing and attracting talent, improving labor conditions, and creating a local semiconductor job ecosystem through the ministry's "Customized Job Creation Project for Local Industries." He reiterated his commitment to maintaining consistent communication with businesses and local governments to explore feasible solutions.
* This article has been translated by AI.
Copyright ⓒ Aju Press All rights reserved.