119 students find jobs after POSCO's vocational training

In this photo provided by POSCO, Professor Youn Eun-young of Pohang University of Science and Technology (POSTECH) teaches trainees about algorithms that guide self-driving cars. Courtesy of POSCO

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Nearly 120 new graduates have found jobs thanks to POSCO's vocational training, which was established last year to help boost jobseekers' competency, the company said Thursday.

According to POSCO, 89 participants who completed the “Practical Corporate Employment Education” program and 30 trainees who attended the “AI and the Big Data Academy” got the job.

Among them, eight people joined the POSCO Group, including POSCO, POSCO International and POSCO E&C.

POSCO Chairman Choi Jeong-woo has vowed to revamp employment opportunities for jobseekers by running three programs ― “Practical Corporate Employment Education” to offer real-life business management tips, “Incubating School for Business Startups” to support entrepreneurs to establish successful startups and “AI-Big Data Academy” to cultivate data experts.

A total of 508 students ― 371 in Practical Corporate Employment, 96 in AI-Big Data Academy and 41 in Incubating School for Business Startups, completed the courses in the first half of this year.

Eighteen of 41 entrepreneurs founded their own startups while six of them moved into the “Creative Economy Innovation Center” run by POSCO in Pohang, North Gyeongsang Province.

“POSCO's training program for jobseekers and entrepreneurs is an important part of POSCO's corporate citizenship endeavors,” the company official said. “It will continue to boost youth employment and revitalize the local economy.”