POSCO received authorization to establish the ‘POSCO Technology College Steel Integration Major’ from the Ministry of Education on October 31st.
The POSCO Technology College, which will be established in the form of a corporate college to support self-development and lifetime education of on-site employees, is planning to open next March, with 30 students at each of the Pohang and Gwangyang campuses, and will be offered as an official two-year college course acknowledged by the government.
Corporate colleges are lifetime education facilities that can be operated on corporate sites with more than 200 employees without having to establish additional educational foundations to support high school graduate workers to continue studies while working.
Such colleges, once authorized by the Minister of the Ministry of Education according to clause 32 of the Lifetime Education Law, can offer two-year or four-year college degrees to those who complete the course. A total of 7 colleges are currently available in Korean companies, including Samsung Electronics Engineering College and Hyundai Heavy Industries Engineering College.
POSCO started basic planning last February to establish the corporate college, and structurally prepared college regulations, instructor pools, school affairs management, course of study development, student support plans, and professor selection for establishment plan approval by the Ministry of Education in August, and final establishment was recently approved.
This education course particularly includes 23 out of 27 major courses developed based on the National Competency Standards (NCS), a first for a corporate college, and is expected to be utilized as a leading model for NCS-based courses in corporate colleges as well as two-year colleges in Korea.
The POSCO Technology College, which is open to on-site employees with more than 5 years of employment and experience, plans to foster high level professionals with global level competitiveness based on training in the steel integration field including metals, machinery, and electrical measurement to lead change in the new steel environment.
The course will be offered to one class each in Pohang and Gwangyang from Thursday to Saturday. Course students who are part of a shift team will be reassigned to resident teams and will engage in studies while working on site for the coming two years to support self-development.