Establishment of New National Technical Qualification Categories Including Autonomous Driving Spatial Information Integration Engineer

Ministry of Employment Announces Enforcement of Amendment to the 'National Technical Qualifications Act Enforcement Rules'

[Sejong=Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The government has decided to establish new national technical qualification categories related to new industries, such as spatial information convergence services used in autonomous driving, to prepare for industrial restructuring.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced on the 24th that it will implement a partial amendment to the "Enforcement Rules of the National Technical Qualifications Act" reflecting these changes starting from the 25th.

First, new qualifications will be established for jobs such as spatial information convergence service and content development used in autonomous driving (Spatial Information Convergence Industrial Engineer), spatial information data collection, processing, and analysis (Spatial Information Convergence Technician), and e-learning course management (E-learning Operation Manager). The new E-learning Operation Manager qualification will be available for application and certification from the second half of 2023 after a preparation period involving the selection of entrusted testing institutions, preparation of test standards, and exam question development.

Conversely, similar categories will be integrated or abolished. For example, the General Mechanical Engineer qualification managed by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Mechanical Design Engineer qualification managed by the Ministry of Employment and Labor will be merged into the General Mechanical Engineer qualification. There are also qualification exams that will be divided to reflect industry demand.

For instance, the "Forest Product Processing Technician" qualification, which involves processing and producing products from forest resources, will be split into "Wood Processing Technician" (Wood Processing) and "Pulp and Paper Manufacturing Technician" (Pulp and Paper) starting in 2024, and the existing Forest Product Processing Technician exam will be abolished. The Greenhouse Gas Management Industrial Engineer category under the Ministry of Environment will also be abolished due to low industry utilization. For qualifications being abolished, exams will still be conducted until the end of 2023, and the validity of previously obtained qualifications will be maintained even after the exam is discontinued to minimize disadvantages for existing examinees.

Thirty-four categories, including Electronic Engineer and 3D Printer Development Industrial Engineer, will be reorganized based on the National Competency Standards (NCS). This aims to maximize the connection between job content and the skills required in the industry. For example, categories such as Introduction to Oceanography, Geological Oceanography, Marine Resources, Exploration Engineering, and Marine Instrumentation will be subdivided and reorganized into Marine Resource Exploration, Marine Topography and Geological Survey, Marine Resource Development and Evaluation, and Introduction to Marine Science and Instrumentation.

Additionally, the management of three categories?Electronic Device Technician (from Minister of Employment and Labor to Minister of Industry and Energy), Applied Geology Engineer (from Minister of Employment and Labor to Minister of Industry and Energy), and Hanbok Technician (from Minister of Employment and Labor to Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism)?will be transferred to the relevant ministries to strengthen management.

Minister of Employment and Labor Ahn Kyung-deok said, "We have actively established qualifications in fields with high demand on site," adding, "We will do our best to support so that national technical qualifications become a stepping stone to producing the workforce sought by the field and serve as an important indicator for utilizing capable talent."