Universities selected to foster semiconductor talent

A semiconductor class at Seoul National University in Gwanak District, southern Seoul [YONHAP]

Five universities and three university coalitions have been chosen to receive a total of 54 billion won ($42.4 million) this year to foster semiconductor talent, the Ministry of Education announced Tuesday.

The so-called semiconductor-specialized universities will be tasked with producing more than 400 high-performing undergraduate-level semiconductor graduates annually over the next four years, as the nation tries to prevent potential labor shortages in the semiconductor industry.

The universities were chosen through a public bid that took place earlier this year.

In the Seoul metropolitan area encompassing Seoul, Incheon and Gyeonggi, the following universities were selected: Seoul National University, Sungkyunkwan University and a coalition comprising Myongji University and Hoseo University.

Outside the Seoul metropolitan area, the following schools were selected: Kyungpook National University, Korea University Sejong Campus, Pusan National University, a coalition comprising Jeonbuk National University and Chonnam National University, and a coalition comprising Chungbuk National University, Chungnam National University and Korea University of Technology and Education.

Each university or coalition will have to produce at least 50 undergraduate-level semiconductor graduates every year while using the fund to develop specialized semiconductor curricula and education programs.

The Education Ministry said it would communicate with each university and coalition about their progress and conduct a midterm evaluation two years into the project. Based on the assessment, underperforming universities may face consequences such as expulsion from the initiative or reductions in funding.

Other universities may be additionally selected depending on the future size of the budget, the ministry continued.

The semiconductor-specialized universities project is a follow-up to President Yoon Suk Yeol’s emphasis on semiconductor education last year.

Even before Yoon officially assumed office, his transition team repeatedly highlighted the importance of semiconductors and the lack of skilled workers in the industry.

In July 2022, the Education Ministry vowed to produce more than 150,000 semiconductor graduates over the next decade, mentioning that the country’s semiconductor industry actually needs more than double that figure by then.

About 177,000 people currently work in the semiconductor industry and some 5,000 people are newly recruited annually. But most of these workers graduated from a vocational school or community college and usually remain in lower-level positions, said the ministry, which is why the country wants more educated workers to lead the rising industry and fend off competitors like Taiwan.

Last week, Yoon stressed the need for cooperation between the public and private sectors to win the global semiconductor competition, calling it an all-out “industrial war.”

BY LEE SUNG-EUN [lee.sungeun@joongang.co.kr]