On the 12th, Gyeongbuk Province signed a business agreement with the Gyeongbuk Automobile Specialized Maintenance Business Association and Yeungnam Institute of Technology at the History Hall on the 2nd floor of Cheonma Square at Yeungnam Institute of Technology to cultivate future-oriented (eco-friendly) automobile field specialists.
This agreement was prepared in response to the global automotive industry's paradigm shift from internal combustion engines to eco-friendly vehicles, as the proportion of eco-friendly vehicles among registered vehicles in the province is gradually increasing, and to prepare for the rising maintenance demand due to advancements in new automotive technologies.
Among the 1,538,226 registered vehicles in the Gyeongbuk region, only 4.7%, or 71,993 vehicles, are eco-friendly. Electric vehicles, accounting for 1.45% (22,349 vehicles), are rapidly increasing in number every year. Hydrogen vehicles account for 0.02% with 319 units, and hybrid vehicles total 3.2%, or 49,325 units.
In Gyeongbuk Province, the automobile specialized maintenance industry consists of 2,267 companies employing 3,593 people, with an average of about 1 to 2 employees per company, indicating a small-scale operation. Furthermore, since specialized maintenance mainly focuses on internal combustion engines, there is a growing need to prepare for increased maintenance demand due to the expansion of eco-friendly vehicle registrations.
In line with these internal and external environmental changes, the three organizations?Gyeongbuk Province, the Specialized Maintenance Association, and Yeungnam Institute of Technology?have signed an agreement to provide education for cultivating field specialists in eco-friendly automobile maintenance.
According to the agreement, 100 people will be selected annually from specialized maintenance companies over three years, totaling 300 people, to receive step-by-step education from basic to advanced levels in eco-friendly automobile maintenance technology.
The education will focus not only on safety training but also on practical technical training related to future-oriented vehicles, including diagnostics and maintenance in the eco-friendly automobile sector and charging infrastructure.
Gyeongbuk Province expects that by cultivating specialized personnel, residents will have easier access to eco-friendly automobile maintenance services, and that the advancement of automobile maintenance technology will contribute to revitalizing the local economy.
Meanwhile, the Specialized Maintenance Association (Chairman Hong Jae-ho) has participated annually in various public service activities, such as providing free vehicle inspections in flood-affected areas of four cities and counties including Yeongju and Yecheon last July. Based on the specialized personnel training, they plan to conduct free vehicle inspections during various events and major holidays such as Lunar New Year and Chuseok in the future.
Yeungnam Institute of Technology (President Lee Jae-yong) plans to actively cooperate in improving maintenance personnel skills by providing information and consultation on overall technical education as well as conducting research on new technology developments even after the training.
Choi Young-sook, Director of the Economic and Industrial Bureau of Gyeongbuk Province, said, “With this agreement, we hope that the maintenance level of eco-friendly vehicles will improve, providing a good opportunity for the development of Gyeongbuk’s automobile maintenance industry and the cultivation of specialized personnel.”
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