Supporting Promising Designers with Practical Experience
Expanding Overseas Internship Support and Strengthening AI Education
The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Institute of Design Promotion announced on the 4th that they will provide support worth 4.57 billion KRW this year to nurture talent in the design field.
Three design talent development projects have been announced: the World-Class Designer Training Project, the Overseas Internship Support Project, and the Youth-Linked K-Design Power-Up Project. Designers and small to medium-sized enterprises are currently being recruited to participate in education and practical skills enhancement programs.
Although there are about 20,000 domestic design graduates annually, a mismatch between supply and demand for design personnel occurs because companies prefer experienced designers when hiring. Accordingly, the three talent development projects promoted by the Institute aim to produce industry-demand-tailored talent who can be immediately deployed in the field.
The World-Class Designer Training Project (KDM+) selects promising undergraduate design students and provides them with practical design education and opportunities to participate in industry-academia projects to cultivate top-level practical talent. Last year, 33 industry-academia projects were operated in collaboration with domestic and international companies such as BMW, LG Electronics, LG Household & Health Care, Hankook Tire, and Naver, supporting promising designers to experience various practical processes including future-oriented concept design. Results included actual utilization of Hankook Tire industry-academia project outputs by the company and students who participated in the LG Household & Health Care project working as interns at the company.
The Overseas Internship Support Project strengthens the global capabilities of Korean designers by dispatching interns to excellent overseas companies either locally or online to support overseas design practical experience. Since 2020, 469 interns have gained global practical experience at 252 companies. In 2023, 45% of participants were employed by global companies and excellent design firms.
The Youth-Linked K-Design Power-Up Project dispatches unemployed designers as interns to domestic small and medium-sized enterprises and specialized design companies, supporting the participating companies with the interns' wages. Last year, 309 interns worked at 247 companies receiving on-site practical training, and 37.2% of them were hired as full-time employees.
This year, all three projects plan to strengthen and expand support for new technology capabilities. The World-Class Designer Training Project plans to promote the cultivation of design talent leading the future through advanced education programs considering industry and environment.
The Overseas Internship Support Project will provide up to 2.5 million KRW per month for local living expenses and up to 2 million KRW for overseas travel expenses, and plans to expand new technology capability training such as AI design education. The Youth-Linked K-Design Power-Up Project will increase the monthly intern support fund from 2.06 million KRW to 2.10 million KRW, a 1.7% increase, and plans to expand on-site inspections to facilitate smooth internship support.
Yoon Sang-heum, President of the Korea Institute of Design Promotion, said, "Improving designers' practical skills also contributes to enhancing companies' competitiveness," adding, "This year, we plan to focus on producing field-oriented design talent through education incorporating new technologies such as AI and establishing a culture of coexistence between companies and designers." Detailed information on recruitment periods, eligibility, and application methods for each project can be found in the 'Talent Development and Education' menu on the Korea Institute of Design Promotion website.
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