Korea SMEs and Startups Agency to train 600 smart manufacturing specialists, covering full tuition

The Korea SMEs and Startups Agency is launching a program to train 600 specialists for the smart manufacturing sector, covering all tuition costs and offering internship placements and full-time job connections to graduates.

The agency announced Sunday it is recruiting 600 trainees — primarily youth job seekers — for its 2026 Smart Manufacturing Specialist Development Program.

The program provides field-oriented job training to people seeking employment in smart manufacturing and connects them with small and medium-sized enterprises in the sector. The curriculum is divided into two tracks.

Track 1 focuses on developing hands-on workers who can operate and manage smart factories. Track 2 trains developers of AI-based manufacturing solutions used in process improvement and quality control.

Recruitment is open through seven regional program centers nationwide. Selected trainees will receive roughly one month of smart manufacturing job training at no cost, along with a monthly stipend of up to 400,000 won ($287).

Upon completing the training, participants will be matched with small and medium-sized enterprises in the smart manufacturing sector for internships of up to three months. The agency also plans to support job placement leading to full-time employment after the internship.

Gyeonggi Technopark, the Track 1 center serving the Greater Seoul area, aims to develop engineers for smart manufacturing equipment and automation systems. Its curriculum includes hands-on training in programmable logic controller (PLC)-based equipment control, manufacturing data analysis, and production automation and virtual factory construction.

The Smart Manufacturing Innovation Association, the Track 2 center, offers practical training centered on technologies applicable to factory floors — including Python-based data analysis, machine learning, deep learning and vision AI. The remaining regional centers will also run field-oriented curricula tailored to employment in smart manufacturing.

The program also includes dedicated job-placement activities after training. Job-matching days and investor relations sessions will be organized based on each trainee's skills and desired role, facilitating matches between trainees and participating companies.

Prospective applicants can find application procedures and curriculum details for each regional center on the job-matching platform notice board of the agency's Corporate Human Resources Support Center. Enrollment closes early once each center reaches capacity.

"For young job seekers looking to enter the smart manufacturing field, this will serve as a solid stepping stone — providing practical training that leads all the way to employment," said Jo Han-gyo, the agency's director of human resources development. "For participating companies, it will be a great opportunity to secure talent ready to contribute from day one."