Industry-academia bootcamps train skilled workers in AI and semiconductors

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol said Friday he would "move swiftly to execute the core tasks of the Youth New Deal initiative announced in late April and actively identify additional measures" to improve employment conditions for young Koreans as quickly as possible.

Koo made the remarks at a roundtable held at Hanyang University, which he visited alongside Deputy Education Minister Choi Eun-ok to observe a cutting-edge industry talent bootcamp. The meeting brought together university officials, participating companies, trainees and experts.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol [Yonhap]
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance Koo Yun-cheol [Yonhap]

Koo described the situation as serious, citing employment data released Thursday showing the youth employment rate fell year-on-year to 43.8 percent while the youth unemployment rate rose to 7.2 percent. "The difficulties facing young job seekers are deepening," he said.

He described the Ministry of Education's "Youth Leap Talent Bootcamp" — established under the Youth New Deal initiative — as a core program supporting non-enrolled youth in developing skills in advanced industries and fields they prefer. He urged officials to move quickly on preliminary steps such as selecting universities and recruiting participants.

The advanced industry talent bootcamp is a program in which universities and companies jointly develop and run intensive training courses to produce skilled workers for cutting-edge fields. Hanyang University operates an AI bootcamp in partnership with Hyundai NGV, Salesforce and Saltlux, and also runs a semiconductor-AI convergence bootcamp with YMX and Motivlab.

Attendees observed demonstrations from one of the AI bootcamp tracks, including an autonomous driving circuit run and an AI-guided robot cargo transfer. Students also showcased projects they developed themselves: a large language model-based system for detecting and classifying automotive maintenance stickers, and a profit analysis and management model that visualizes industrial data.

Koo encouraged the students who took part in the demonstrations and urged them to keep applying AI in their professional work, drawing on the training they completed in the bootcamp.

Experts at the roundtable said sustaining and expanding youth employment in the AI era requires field-centered training programs like the bootcamp to deliver market-relevant skills in a timely manner. They also recommended additional support policies to ensure the program connects participants to a wider range of career pathways in practice.

Koo called the bootcamp "a highly meaningful model at a time when the competencies required of young people are changing rapidly." He added that preliminary steps — including selecting participating companies and recruiting young applicants — are already underway for the K-New Deal Academy, a vocational training program for youth, with the goal of opening the first academy in July. Public-sector work experience programs, including a comprehensive farmland survey and a delinquent tax management corps, will also move forward with hiring procedures as soon as possible, he said.

"Going forward, the government will provide even stronger support so that young people can build the capabilities needed for future industries through education and vocational training and put them to use in finding jobs," he added.

Deputy Education Minister Choi said the advanced industry talent bootcamp is "a core Ministry of Education program supporting the development of talent in AI, semiconductors, biotech, robotics and other fields that will determine future competitiveness." She said feedback from the roundtable would be reflected in the program's future direction and pledged to help students access high-quality curricula grounded in industry demand.


y2k@heraldcorp.com