[Enemies of Reform⑬] Top Priority 'Digital Talent' Development... Must Break Away from Inertia

President Yoon Seok-yeol's favored 'education reform' focuses on nurturing industrial talent and regulatory reform. In response to the semiconductor talent shortage, the Ministry of Education has been reprimanded by President Yoon since the early days of his administration to "consider itself as an economic ministry." The situation has reached a point where a new framework must be established to foster industrial talent, which had been neglected until now. The 'Digital 1 Million Talent Development' initiative, regarded as a key solution to the shortage of talent in semiconductors, AI (Artificial Intelligence), and SW (Software), is a core task of education reform. The Ministry of Education has set plans to cultivate 60,000 students through specialized high schools and Meister high schools, 230,000 through regular university programs, 420,000 through digital boot camps, and 290,000 through private and company-led vocational training.

The Ministry of Education plans to announce a comprehensive plan for developing 1 million digital talents in the second half of the year. To expand the supply of talent in new industries and new technologies, it is preparing related policies by forming a special team for advanced industrial talent development with the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, and the Ministry of Science and ICT. It has also decided to establish a Talent Development Committee in the second half of next year. The government will begin regulatory improvements that hinder the cultivation of personnel in advanced fields such as semiconductors and prepare additional measures to dramatically increase quotas in advanced fields within the second half of the year. On the 9th of last month, Prime Minister Han Duck-soo visited the Ministry of Education and emphasized, "To grow the semiconductor industry, the core strategy is not to pour money and secure technology, but to nurture talent." 'Enemies of Reform'

Jang Sang-yoon, Vice Minister of Education, said at the Summer Presidents Seminar held on the 23rd of last month with university presidents, "The demand for new technology personnel is rapidly increasing, but talent development is not keeping up with the demand," adding, "If efforts to set an accurate direction and innovate with a long-term perspective until the next government are not united, both the government and universities will face difficulties."

◆ Butterfly Effect Created by Small Regulations, Classrooms Resisting Change

Although the Ministry of Education is the main agent of education reform, its regulations create a butterfly effect that results in on-site resistance to change. The Ministry's top priority policy has been university quota restructuring. The semiconductor industry has consistently advocated for expanding quotas in metropolitan area universities, but the Ministry of Education has not moved. It only allowed an increase in advanced departments within the scope of transfer admission vacancies. The regulation focused on quota reduction, departmental selfishness within universities, and student opposition to mergers and closures have combined to make securing quotas necessary for nurturing talent in new industries difficult.

Another limitation is that top universities, conscious of external evaluations, focus on research while neglecting talent development. Especially in semiconductors, even if contract departments related to companies are operated, they are temporary and centered on undergraduates, making it structurally difficult to produce research achievements. Professor Hwang Cheol-sung, Chair Professor of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Seoul National University, pointed out, "Contract departments disappear after a fixed period, so it is difficult to appoint regular professors to temporary departments. To appoint professors within the given quota, the quota of professors in other departments must be reduced, which is a very difficult issue given our university's reality."

Even if the Ministry of Education forces universities to reduce quotas and reallocates them to nurture talent in new industries such as semiconductors, if universities do not establish departments, this will be in vain. Even if advanced departments are established, universities lack the financial capacity to secure excellent faculty in semiconductors or AI fields. A representative from a private university in Seoul said, "We barely survive on tuition fees and have no capacity to establish new departments. The salary for AI-specialized professors is about four times that of regular professors, making it really difficult to recruit faculty."

◆ Even if Quotas Are Released... Inter-Ministerial Collaboration Is Essential

Even if the Ministry of Education, the main agent of education reform, takes the lead, this is not a problem it can solve alone. One solution to the semiconductor talent shortage, expanding quotas in metropolitan area university semiconductor departments, has been constrained by the Capital Region Readjustment Act. To lift quota regulations, methods such as excluding universities from population-inducing facilities under the Capital Region Readjustment Plan Act and excluding advanced field department quotas from the total quota exist, but these require legislative amendments in the National Assembly.

To quickly identify and supply talent desired by the industry, inter-ministerial collaboration through organizations like the National Talent Development Committee is essential. Currently, even the scale of talent demand required by the industry is not properly understood. The Ministry of Science and ICT claims 1,500 semiconductor talents are needed, while the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy claims 1,900, illustrating this issue. A Ministry of Education official explained, "Although industrial manpower is lacking, the regulations were imposed by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. We have increased admission quotas within the allowed scope, but fundamental adjustments are inevitable."

There are also opposing voices regarding fairness with regional universities and the need for balanced development among academic disciplines concerning the Ministry of Education's advanced industrial talent development policy. Moreover, even if universities establish semiconductor-related departments, it takes at least 5 to 6 years before graduates can be deployed in the field, requiring considerable time to resolve supply-demand mismatches. A professor specializing in AI pointed out, "Korean companies tend to follow trends a lot. Fields like AI, 3D printing, and semiconductors fluctuate. Departments undergo restructuring and name changes according to industry trends, creating a vicious cycle."

The Ministry of Education plans to introduce online bachelor's degree programs at general universities exclusively for advanced fields and expand flexible curricula such as micro-credentials. It has also decided to select 'Future Convergence Innovative Talent Universities' that offer flexible bachelor's programs and guarantee major selection rights regardless of departments. The one-year short master's programs operated by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in AI, software, and semiconductor fields are also considered good alternatives.

◆ The Art of 'Operation' Utilizing Enrolled Students

Since the new government took office, the Ministry of Education has pulled out the card of expanding quotas in metropolitan universities to nurture semiconductor talent. The Ministry is considering using 8,000 of the reduced quotas for semiconductor talent development. Over the past 10 years, the Ministry has reduced university admission quotas by about 50,000 through restructuring. Even if semiconductor department quotas are increased immediately, it does not instantly supply talent matching demand. The solution to bridge this gap is a 'flexible education system.'

One method is to offer semiconductor-related courses as elective majors to enrolled students. Chung Jin-taek, President of Korea University, suggested, "Rather than establishing new departments, it is more effective to reform curricula so that students can acquire knowledge necessary for the semiconductor industry within existing programs," adding, "Strengthening curricula in semiconductor-related majors within engineering colleges or inviting major professors are possible approaches."

Utilizing integrated bachelor's and master's programs is also essential for producing high-level talent. Students progressing from bachelor's to master's degrees in this program are not counted within the master's quota but recognized as a separate quota, allowing universities to increase graduate school quotas. Professor Hwang Hong-gyu, adjunct professor at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, explained, "Graduate schools also consider four major requirements such as professor acquisition rate, which are 1.5 times stricter than for bachelor's programs. Managing students in integrated bachelor's-master's programs as a separate quota helps expand financial income and is a good method for cultivating high-level talent."

Contract departments should also be allowed to operate by major or course. According to the Industry-Academia Cooperation Act, contract departments can be established at the 'course' level. Allowing the establishment of contract department curricula in semiconductor majors and government subsidizing costs would reduce the financial burden on semiconductor companies located in provinces. Professor Hwang explained, "By establishing a 36-credit course called semiconductor major and operating it so students complete the course, and with government and companies sharing costs since local companies find it difficult to bear education and labor costs, it is possible to respond to small-scale manpower demand."

◆ Resolving Long-Standing Four Major Requirements and Other Regulations, Cooperation with Companies

Regulatory relaxation to reduce mismatches between supply and demand must accompany these efforts. Representative measures include flexibilizing bachelor's programs and easing regulations on classroom spaces. The Ministry of Education is conducting policy research within the year to relax the four major requirements (land, buildings, faculty, and basic property for profit use). Additionally, it plans to establish the Regulatory Improvement Committee as a statutory committee to discover further regulatory improvement tasks.

Jeong Je-young, Director of Ewha Womans University Future Education Research Institute, advised, "The key task for nurturing 1 million digital talents is how well supply matches demand. It is important to set targets according to processes from elementary and secondary education to university and master's and doctoral programs, and to bridge the gap between industry standards and the education system," adding, "It is essential to prepare development plans by field, area, and level to predict talent demand in each sector and maintain balance across fields."

Innovation within universities themselves and active cooperation from companies are also necessary. While solidifying basic academic disciplines, flexibility is needed to invest in applied disciplines according to industry trends. Hwang Min-chul, Dean of the College of Convergence Engineering at Sangmyung University, explained, "Basic academic disciplines are always necessary regardless of trends and form the foundation of new industries. Education must be solid to prepare for unexpected future technological demands," adding, "Companies must solve the education they truly need. If universities cultivate talent with solid foundations, applied skills, and problem-solving abilities, companies can take them and complete talent development through additional education matching demand."