In the Contactless Era... Even 'Munsacheol' Flocks to Digital Job Training

With the surge in non-face-to-face interactions due to COVID-19, there is a growing craze for attracting talent equipped with digital capabilities. Coding skills, data analysis techniques, Python, R, and big data form the foundation of digital competitiveness, with notable participation from non-majors.

According to an analysis conducted on June 3 by the Asia Economy Education Center through interviews with graduates of digital job training programs in fintech, artificial intelligence (AI), and big data, this trend is clearly evident. In particular, those who did not major in related fields actively participate in training courses to secure competitiveness in the job market. Among the 94 graduates of the training programs in the first half of this year, 78% were non-majors.

The reason non-majors are also rushing to complete specialized training courses is attributed to the significant growth of related markets as work and commerce have developed in a non-face-to-face manner. Not only tech companies but also general companies now consider having technical personnel as essential infrastructure to perform non-face-to-face tasks.

Accordingly, the Education Center focuses on enhancing trainees' capabilities by involving industry practitioners from fintech, IT, and software development sectors directly in the training process to monitor and evaluate trainees' skills. Practitioners who participated in the first half of the year were selected from the financial, securities, and IT industries, including Shinhan Financial Group, Shinhan Future’s Lab, and Nature Mobility.

Additionally, during the training process, the center recruits practitioners from companies wishing to participate in real-time training, conducting corporate special lectures and jointly holding recruitment briefings with Shinhan Future’s Lab, thereby running employment-linked education programs.

Lee Siwan, CEO of LBS Tech, who participated in the related program for the second time this year and hired graduates as employees, said, "The efforts of the team members stood out to produce good results, and it was meaningful in many ways to meet talented individuals who have a high understanding of the job and are passionate."

Meanwhile, since 2014, the Education Center has been supporting youth employment training and matching with partner companies in collaboration with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, starting with the Youth Employment Academy. It conducts practical job training in digital new technology fields such as big data, fintech, and AI using coding, and operates as a Ministry of Employment and Labor-designated training institution providing K-Digital training. The K-Digital training consists of approximately 900 hours and is conducted with a practical focus to elevate the technical skill levels of majors.