LG Energy Solution signs MOU to cultivate local talent for battery industry

LG Energy Solution announced Thursday that it signed a memorandum of understanding with Chungbuk National University, North Chungcheong Province, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Korea Battery Industry Association on developing regional talent in growth-engine sectors. The signing ceremony was held at Chungbuk National University's main administration building.

The ceremony was attended by Kim Ki-su, chief human resources officer at LG Energy Solution, along with Cho Jeong-ho, head of planning at Chungbuk National University; Byeon In-sun, director of the AI Science and Talent Bureau of North Chungcheong Province; Choi Woo-hyeok, director of advanced industry policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy; and Lee Hui-yeop, managing director of the Korea Battery Industry Association.

The agreement was pursued in line with the government's initiative to establish a framework for developing regional talent tied to growth-engine industries, with the aim of organically linking universities' education and research capabilities with companies' technology needs. The parties plan to build a talent development system that reflects industry demand in the battery sector — a strategic regional industry — and to lay a sustainable foundation for industry-academia-government cooperation involving the central government, local authorities, universities and the private sector.

North Chungcheong Province is the heart of South Korea's battery industry, home to LG Energy Solution's key production hub, the Ochang Energy Plant, as well as a concentration of global battery companies and materials, components and equipment firms. Through the MOU, LG Energy Solution plans to strengthen manufacturing infrastructure in the Ochang area, raise the capabilities of local talent and expand the region's growth drivers.

Under the agreement, the participating organizations agreed to pursue a range of cooperative measures: jointly developing customized curricula and short-term programs that fully reflect industry needs; expanding contract-enrollment and employment-linked education models; having LG Energy Solution researchers and experts participate in lectures and mentoring; strengthening on-site training and internship programs; and conducting joint policy and technology research to advance the secondary battery industry.

In addition, the parties plan to further expand education innovation and industry-academia cooperation that reflects regional industrial demand, and to continuously develop a cooperative framework for nurturing local talent and strengthening the competitiveness of regional industries.

"This agreement is significant in that companies, local government and the central government are joining forces as one team to build a regional talent development and R&D ecosystem that will accelerate the growth of the next-generation battery industry," Kim said. "We will continue to actively cooperate to secure field-ready talent and strengthen the global competitiveness of the regional industrial ecosystem."

Meanwhile, LG Energy Solution has been carrying out a range of activities to build a robust R&D ecosystem that will accelerate the growth of the battery industry. These include recently hosting its fourth industry-academia cooperation conference at its technology research center in Daejeon, attended by faculty and more than 90 master's and doctoral students from about 10 leading domestic universities, including Seoul National University, KAIST, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Korea University and Yonsei University.