The World is in a Tech War... Samsung Has Supported the Olympics for 16 Years
Vice Chairman Lee Attended for the First Time in 13 Years... Encouraging Awardees and 'Technology Management'
Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong visits the automotive MLCC (Multilayer Ceramic Capacitor) production plant at Samsung Electro-Mechanics' Busan facility on July 16, 2020, to inspect MLCC products. (Photo by Yonhap News)
[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] This year, Samsung sent 22 participants to the 'Skills Olympics,' accounting for 43% of the 51-member Korean national team. Samsung Electronics has consistently produced its own 'technology warriors' while supporting the Skills Olympics for 16 years. Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong of Samsung Electronics led the efforts.
Samsung Electronics announced on the afternoon of the 17th that Vice Chairman Lee attended the closing ceremony of the '2022 International Skills Olympics Special Competition Goyang' held at KINTEX in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province. About 400 people attended, including Minister of Employment and Labor Lee Jeong-sik, Kang Hyun-cheol, Director of Capability Development at the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, and 133 athletes from 35 countries.
Samsung Electronics is a top-tier title sponsor of the Olympics. Lee, the CEO of Samsung Electronics, encouraged the team that elevated the status of 'Technology Korea' and personally awarded medals to the winners. This was his first visit to the competition venue in 13 years since the 2009 Calgary, Canada event.
Vice Chairman Lee has long been dedicated to 'technology management.' Thirteen years ago at the Calgary competition site, he emphasized, "Marketing and management are important, but the strength of manufacturing lies in the field," adding, "The competitiveness of the field comes from technical talent." Since then, he has continuously shown interest in technical talent and the Skills Olympics through events such as luncheons with principals of national industrial high schools, meetings with Skills Olympics medalists, and meetings with the WorldSkills International (WSI) president.
As part of its youth education CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities, Samsung Electronics continues to support domestic and international skills competitions to foster young technical talent worldwide and expand the base of skilled technology. This means it is not just about nurturing Samsung’s own workforce. Samsung Electronics has sponsored the biennial Olympics for 16 years, eight consecutive times, starting from the 2007 Shizuoka, Japan competition. Since the 2013 Leipzig, Germany competition, it has participated as the sole top-tier title sponsor.
Domestically, Samsung signed a 'Skills Promotion Agreement' with the Ministry of Employment and Labor in December 2006 and has sponsored the 'National Skills Competition' since 2007. Over 14 years from 2007 to last year, 1,424 people were hired by 14 affiliates including Samsung Display, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, Samsung SDI, Samsung C&T, Samsung Biologics, Samsung Heavy Industries, and S-1 through this national competition. Samsung also supports the Korean national team’s training, overseas training expenses, and training material costs. The team’s achievements at the Olympics include 28 gold medals, 16 silver medals, and 8 bronze medals, totaling 52 medals.
Meanwhile, the '2022 International Skills Olympics Special Competition' is being held in a distributed manner from last month 3rd to next month 28th across 26 cities in 15 countries. About 1,000 athletes from approximately 60 countries participated. The Korean competition opened on the 12th and lasted four days before closing on this day.
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