SW Policy Research Institute “353,000 new talents are needed”
Prepare for digital transformation demand after COVID-19
Deputy Prime Minister Hong “Additional 89,000 trainees will be trained”
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<Software training plan meeting was held by the Public Private Partnership at Codestates in Seocho-gu, Seoul. (L-R) Sung-Jin Choi, CEO of Korea Startup Forum, Hye-Sook Lim, Minister of Science and ICT, Joon-Hee Cho, President of Korea Software Industry Association, Nam-Ki Hong, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, Sam-Kwon Kang, President of Korea Venture Business Association, Kyung-Duk An, Minister of Employment and Labor,Jung-Hoon Cha, Head of Startup Venture Innovation of Ministry of SMEs and Startups. By staff Reporter, Ji-ho Park jihopress@etnews.com>

The government plans to train 413,000 people by 2025 in order to solve soaring demand of  software(SW) manpower shortage after accelerating digital transformation due to COVID-19. It is trying to resolve the shortage issue by having three times the expected shortage of personnel including college graduates, existing workforce and new personnel. 
 
On the 9th, the government held a meeting at Codestates, a SW talent nurturing company located in Seocho-gu, Seoul, and reported contents related to “SW talent nurturing measures.” The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy and Finance, Nam-Ki Hong, The Minister of Science and ICT, Hye-Sook Lim, the Minister of Employment and Labor, Kyung-Duk An, and others attended the meeting. The President of Korea Software Industry Association, Joon-Hee Cho, the President of Korea Software Industry Association and the CEO of Korea Startup Forum, Sung-Jin Choi, the Vice President of Samsung Electronics, Ki-Hong Na, the CIO of NHN, Do-Min Baek, the CEO of Megazone Cloud, Sung-Bum Cho, and the CEO of Drama & Company, Jae-ho Choi, were present for the private sector.
 
According to the SW Policy Research Institute, the demand for new personnel in the SW field will increase to 353,000 over the next 5 years. During the same period, there will be 324,000 people in the SW field; 110,000 people will be from regular courses (universities, etc.) and 214,000 will be from the SW talent nurturing project. The supply and demand fall short of 29,000. The government predicted that more people will be needed as the digital transformation accelerates.
 
The government plans to train 89,000 additional people from the existing SW policy. Thus, we are expected to have a total of 413,000 over the next 5 years.
 
In the short term (within one year) solution to combat the shortage of manpower in SMEs and venture companies, the companies will expand their short-term training courses and improve incumbent trainings. Associations, companies, and training institutions will provide a jointly designed training course to selected youths. The government will subsidize expenses for training and labor when hired.
 
The local industries will cooperate with companies, universities, and institutes to conduct a training tailored to each demand in response to the shortage of local SW needs. The government will aid in returning unemployed women with Information Communication Technology (ICT) background and retirees to the industry as SW experts by providing a practical project education and supporting their career design.
 
In the mid-term, until 2025, the government will continue to expand the company-university cooperation model to train highly-skilled and professional talents, and will increase graduates of SW majors from universities.
 
The government is newly promoting “Campus SW Academy” and “Network-type Campus SW Academy.” Campus SW Academy is a cooperative project in which companies utilize facilities and dormitories of universities to operate educational courses, and Network-type Campus SW Academy is a corporate educational course provided at the universities. The government is expanding SW-focused universities and is improving internships and field trainings with companies in order to nurture SW-majored graduates as well.
 
The government plans to construct infrastructure to support the talent nurturing project. Using Vocational Training Portal (HRD-Net), the government manages employment rate and employment retention rate of participants in all ministries’ talent development projects and establishes a performance management system that feeds back into the policy. The government will provide a foundation for nurturing SW talents by aiding basic digital education to everyone, such as elementary and middle school students, place-hunters, and soldiers.
 
The Korean government signed an action agreement and agreed to work closely with industries such as Venture Business Association, Korea Software Industry Association, and Korea Startup Forum in order to successfully promote the policy.
 
The Deputy Prime Minister Hong claimed, “We will continue to cooperate with relevant ministries in order to provide good quality job markets for SW talents.”
 
The President of Korea Software Industry Association, Joon-Hee Cho, said, “This training is effective and highly satisfactory for employers and job seekers, and I will actively participate in the process that promised guaranteed jobs. And a plan also needs to be implemented for outstanding talents to be recruited to SW companies in order to raise recognition for the companies.
 
By  staff  Reporters  Jisun Kim river@etnews.com,  and Kyung-min Lee kmlee@etnews.com