Education and SMEs ministries partner to boost jobs for international students

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Education and SMEs ministries partner to boost jobs for international students

Published: 14 Oct. 2024, 17:21

LEE TAE-HEE
lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr

Education Minister Lee Ju-ho discusses the Regional Innovation System & Education project with university officials in a meeting in July. [NEWS1]

The Ministry of Education will work with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups to offer employment support for international students and facilitate research partnerships within universities and local companies.

The two ministries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Monday at Sunchon National University's campus in Sunchon, South Jeolla. The MOU was signed in line with the Regional Innovation System & Education (RISE) project, which aims to encourage local governments to cooperate with universities within their jurisdictions to devise ways to improve their educational systems.

Aiming to help international students find jobs after graduation, especially in regions they graduated from, the SMEs Ministry will operate a career-matching platform that connects students with available jobs.

The Education Ministry agreed to promote studying in Korea to international students interested in studying in areas where local companies face a labor shortage, while creating more Korean learning classes for students.

Encouraging research partnerships is another area the ministries will focus on.

The Education Ministry will facilitate more joint research projects between universities, companies and research institutes in the same region, with the SMEs Ministry assigning specialized research areas that each region will focus on.

More entrepreneurship programs will be created at different universities by the Education Ministry, with the SMEs Ministry in charge of helping student-led startups commercialize their ideas.

"Following the MOU that was signed between the Ministry of Science and ICT and Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy in August, our MOU with the Ministry of SMEs and Startups will also help universities and local governments to strengthen their ties," said Education Minister Lee Ju-ho. "We plan to create more partnerships with other relevant organizations such as the Ministry of Employment and Labor and Ministry of the Interior and Safety, ensuring RISE serves as a platform that ties together various government policies."

Following the MOU signing event, Sunchon National University announced plans to work with the South Jeolla government. The university will offer education in areas the province aims to specialize in, which are smart farm technologies, animation production and aerospace technology.

BY LEE TAE-HEE [lee.taehee2@joongang.co.kr]