Open to unemployed youth aged 15 to 34

Two tracks: mobility AI and smart manufacturing

Seven cities nationwide; 90% of training held outside Greater Seoul

Factory visits, industry lectures and hands-on vehicle sessions included

Hyundai Motor Group is accepting applications for the second cohort of HINT, its youth job-skills training program. [Hyundai Motor Group]
Hyundai Motor Group is accepting applications for the second cohort of HINT, its youth job-skills training program. [Hyundai Motor Group]

Hyundai Motor Group is recruiting 500 young people to build practical skills in AI, future mobility and smart manufacturing — with about 90 percent of the training taking place outside the Greater Seoul area to extend opportunities to youth in other regions.

The group said Monday it has opened applications for the second cohort of HINT, its youth job-skills development program.

HINT is part of K-New Deal Academy, a youth vocational training initiative run jointly by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and participating companies. The program focuses on teaching the technologies and job skills needed in the future mobility industry while giving participants direct exposure to real-world work environments.

The second cohort targets 500 unemployed young people between the ages of 15 and 34. Training is offered in two tracks: mobility AI and smart manufacturing.

The mobility AI track covers AI-related technologies used in next-generation vehicle development. The smart manufacturing track centers on the skills and roles required for the digitalization and AI transformation of automotive production facilities.

Training begins with a two-night, three-day residential session at Hyundai Motor Group's human resources development institute in Gyeongju in late October, followed by roughly three months of commuter-style classes at regional training centers.

The curriculum goes beyond classroom theory to include direct exposure to the automotive industry. Participants will tour Hyundai Motor Group's mobility manufacturing facilities, attend lectures by current industry professionals and take part in hands-on sessions using actual vehicles. Tuition, career-exploration programs and foundational skills training are also provided at no cost.

Training centers will be set up in seven cities: Seoul, Daejeon, Cheongju, Gwangju, Daegu, Ulsan and Busan. About 90 percent of all sessions will be held outside the capital region, with the aim of reducing the concentration of educational opportunities in Greater Seoul and lowering barriers to participation for youth elsewhere in the country.

Applications are open through Oct. 5 on the HINT official website. Candidates will go through a document screening and phone interview before final participants are selected.

"The HINT program is a differentiated curriculum that draws on Hyundai Motor Group's unique expertise in mobility and its know-how in hands-on training," a group official said. "We will continue to provide every form of support so that young people can grow into future talent equipped with the practical skills the industry demands."


kwater@heraldcorp.com