Presides Over SME AI and R&D Talent Development Roundtable
Listens to Challenges Faced by SMEs and Small Manufacturers
Minister Han Sung Sook of the Ministry of SMEs and Startups visited the site of the "SME Research Talent Matching Day" held at Jeonbuk National University, expressing her intention for the Ministry to take the lead in alleviating the talent recruitment challenges faced by regional SMEs.
Sung Sook Han, Minister of SMEs and Startups, visited the alley-type shopping district in Seonhak-dong, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon, a food specialty street, on the 29th of last month and had a conversation with merchants. Ministry of SMEs and Startups
On September 11, the Ministry of SMEs and Startups announced that Minister Han, for the first time since her inauguration, visited the Jeonbuk region to tour various policy sites, including SMEs, small manufacturers, and foreign startup companies.
This visit was part of a field tour of SME policy sites by sector, aimed at communicating directly with SMEs and related organizations in Jeonbuk, reflecting on-site difficulties in policy, and encouraging stakeholders.
Minister Han began her schedule by visiting the SME Research Talent Matching Day held at Jeonbuk National University. As the shortage of research personnel for SMEs continues, relevant ministries and Jeonbuk Province jointly organized this event to provide a venue where excellent SMEs in the region and prospective research talent could meet directly.
Minister Han encouraged the participants, saying, "Through Matching Day, young researchers in Jeonbuk will find opportunities to demonstrate their capabilities, and SMEs will meet partners who can drive future growth, creating a foundation for mutual development."
She then presided over a roundtable on "SME Artificial Intelligence (AI) and R&D Talent Development," attended by experts, SME representatives, and current researchers, where she listened to feedback on the challenges regional SMEs face in securing top talent. Minister Han pointed out that regional SMEs face the dual challenge of being both 'regional' and 'small,' and emphasized the necessity of securing AI and R&D talent to ensure the sustainability of these companies.
She also announced plans to implement measures discussed at the roundtable, including: establishing a separate track for AI talent recruitment within the new research personnel support project; introducing a manufacturing AI talent development program based on on-site OJT; and expanding support quotas for research personnel for regional SMEs. She expressed her commitment to swiftly reflect feasible on-site proposals in policy and to take the lead in attracting talent to regional SMEs.
In the next part of her schedule, she held a luncheon roundtable with five local small manufacturer representatives in Jeonju and visited the small manufacturer cluster in Palbok-dong, Jeonju, to hear directly from the field and discuss tailored support measures. This was her first direct meeting with small manufacturers since taking office, arranged to encourage these key players at the root of the local and manufacturing sectors and to incorporate their feedback into policy.
At the centennial business "Neulchaeum" in Deokjin-gu, Jeonju, Minister Han had lunch with representatives from five local small manufacturers, including Shinheung General Kitchen Equipment, Daeshin Machinery, Mama Tte, and Sungwon PCM, listening to their concerns and suggestions regarding financial support, digital skills training, and the distribution of smart equipment.
Minister Han emphasized, "There are 560,000 small manufacturers, accounting for 90% of our manufacturing sector and providing jobs for 1.28 million people, serving as a solid backbone for the manufacturing and regional economies. The government will strengthen step-by-step support tailored to the field, recognizing that small manufacturers, as the foundation of the manufacturing industry, differ from general small business owners in terms of experience and business practices, to ensure their continued growth."
She then visited the Jeonbuk Center for Creative Economy and Innovation to meet with foreign startup founders nurtured by the center and listen to local feedback. The foreign founders at the roundtable requested government attention and support regarding language barriers, the need to expand programs tailored to foreign startups, and overseas expansion based on domestic business.
Minister Han expressed her understanding of the various challenges foreign entrepreneurs face in the region, stating, "We will help ensure that startups in the region have the same access to funding, infrastructure, and networking opportunities as those in the Seoul metropolitan area. In particular, we will work with local governments to help foreign startups quickly settle and grow in the region."
For her final stop in Jeonbuk, Minister Han visited the Jeonbuk Regional Office of SMEs and Startups to receive a work report on local issues, encourage staff, and listen to their concerns.
Meanwhile, the local issues work report session included not only the Jeonbuk Regional Office of SMEs and Startups, but also the Jeonbuk branches of the Korea SMEs and Startups Agency, the Agency for Traditional Market Administration, Korea Technology Finance Corporation, Jeonbuk Credit Guarantee Foundation, Jeonbuk Technopark, and Jeonbuk Technical High School, where they shared both local issues and each institution's challenges.
In the work report from the Jeonbuk Regional Office of SMEs and Startups and other SME support agencies, Minister Han requested, "As Jeonbuk is one of the three special zones under the new government's balanced national growth strategy of 'Five Axes and Three Special Zones,' I ask support agencies to strive to make Jeonbuk a driving force for the growth of regional SMEs."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
