The Korea Software Industry Association (KOSA) announced on the 8th that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for joint education projects to cultivate artificial intelligence (AI) talent in South Korea with ESTsoft, Naver Cloud, and the Smart Talent Development Institute.
The signing ceremony was held on March 10 at the ESTsoft headquarters in Seocho District, Seoul, with the attendance of key officials from each corporation and institution, including Seo Seong-il, vice chairman of KOSA, Park Yeon-jung, executive director of KOSA, Jeong Sang-won, CEO of ESTsoft, Lim Tae-geon, executive director of Naver Cloud, and Ban Soo-kyung, director of the Smart Talent Development Institute. The attendees shared the importance of securing and nurturing specialized talent for the development of the AI industry, which will determine national competitiveness, and agreed to establish a cooperative system.
Through the MOU, the four corporations promised to create various collaborative frameworks linking industry and education, including ▲ establishing an AI-specialized education curriculum ▲ operating educational projects for AI talent cultivation ▲ nurturing practical AI talent tailored to the industrial field ▲ promoting recruitment-linked programs. They plan to build specialized education programs in the AI field and create an environment for continuous education support and capability development.
KOSA is currently operating AI specialized education that reflects the latest technology trends in collaboration with global big tech companies such as AWS, NVIDIA, and Intel, centered around the AI and SW Education Center KSTA. In particular, they are developing specialized content considering the level of the education targets and the demands of the industry. KOSA plans to use this agreement to expand cooperation with private corporations and enhance the quality of AI technology-based education, establishing a talent cultivation model equipped with professionalism and practical capabilities in the domestic educational ecosystem.
Seo Seong-il emphasized, “The growth of AI technology is accelerating, but the supply of specialized talent is not keeping up with industrial demand,” noting that more than 10,000 AI professionals are expected to be lacking by 2025. He stated that the association will focus on field-oriented, practical talent cultivation to help close this talent gap.