Korea Industrial Manpower Corporation Publishes Information Book on Confectionery and Baking
Applicants for Confectionery and Baking Industrial Technician Exam Increase More Than Threefold
The number of applicants for the industrial engineer qualification exam in the baking and pastry field has more than tripled in one year, indicating that qualifications in the cooking and baking fields are becoming popular.
On the 23rd, the Human Resources Development Service of Korea published 'Qualification Q,' a national technical qualification information book containing industrial trends and national technical qualification application status in the cooking and baking fields. According to the data, the average annual number of applicants for the written exams in the cooking and baking fields over the past two years (2022?2023) reached 249,741.
By number of applicants, the Korean Cuisine Cooking Technician had the highest with 68,243 applicants, accounting for 27.3%. This was followed by the Confectionery Technician (55,213 applicants, 22.1%) and the Baking Technician (52,640 applicants, 21.1%).
The qualification with the highest growth rate in applicants was the Baking and Confectionery Industrial Engineer. Established in 2022 and now in its second year, the number of applicants for the Baking and Confectionery Industrial Engineer qualification exam increased more than threefold in one year. Specifically, the number of applicants for the Baking Industrial Engineer written exam rose from 279 in 2022 to 1,040 last year, a 3.7-fold increase. The Confectionery Industrial Engineer applicants increased from 315 in 2022 to 1,094 last year, about 3.5 times more.
National technical qualifications are divided into five levels (technical and functional fields): Professional Engineer, Master Craftsman, Engineer, Industrial Engineer, and Technician. In the baking and pastry field, only the Technician and Master Craftsman (Confectionery) levels were operated until 2022, when the Industrial Engineer level was added. Since then, applicants have shifted from the basic qualification 'Technician' to the more advanced 'Industrial Engineer,' resulting in a slight decrease in applicants for the Confectionery and Baking Technician qualification exams by 1.1% and 2.8%, respectively, compared to the previous year.
Last year, 67.3% of applicants were female. By age group, teenagers accounted for 33.7%, followed by those in their 20s (21.1%) and 40s (16.2%). By economic activity type, students made up the largest portion at 38.3%, followed by job seekers (20.0%) and wage workers (17.0%). Regarding the purpose of application, 'employment' was the most common at 36.9%, followed by self-development (28.1%) and further education (10.0%).
Lee Woo-young, Director of the Human Resources Development Service, stated, "Public interest in the Baking Industrial Engineer and Confectionery Industrial Engineer qualifications, established in 2022, is increasing," adding, "We will provide useful information about qualifications to help improve the work performance and self-development of workers in various industrial sectors of our society."
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