▲ Cho Young-tae, the head of the Department of Smart Manufacturing Convergence at CWNU, explains the new Department of Smart Manufacturing Convergence in July 2020. (Source: CWNU)

Changwon National University established a state-designated Smart Manufacturing Convergence major for the first time in Korea and has recently completed the selection of its new students. This major was established to train the nation's next top global experts and local leaders with knowledge of smart manufacturing, where manufacturing businesses are going beyond automated assembly in the Fourth Industrial Revolution towards artificial intelligence and customized mass production methods. Administrative and financial resources from the Ministry of Trade & Industry, South Gyeongsang Province, and the city of Changwon will be used to support this program.

All of the undergraduate students in this major will be granted a scholarship, a living expense allowance of 500,000 won every month, and will be provided with free housing in dormitories. The Smart Manufacturing Convergence major offers top-notch educational support in Korea. Students will participate in various internship programs, field training programs, employment support programs, and credit acquiring programs linked to prestigious universities abroad. Also, a customized and practical convergence curriculum for advanced manufacturing engineering and data analysis will be established. This new education curriculum, combined with machinery, electronics, and the information-communication sector, will enable students to learn about new research on big data, artificial intelligence, advanced manufacturing technology, material technology, and machine design. It also plans to focus on improving creativity, problem-solving skills, communication, and cooperation among students by providing education through local research institutes and enterprise training, PBL (Project-Based Learning), flipped learning, team-oriented teaching, and team units.

After completing the professional curriculum of the department, students can get a job in any field of industrial manufacturing (mechanical & electrical electronics), especially as experts for smart manufacturing. They are trained to be experts in data processing and analysis, allowing them to enter any industries involving advanced smart manufacturing, conglomerates related to advanced IT, public institutions, and government-funded research institutions.

The government's plan is to first educate more smart manufacturing workers and produce 4,400 professionals in connection with universities by 2022. Changwon National University's Smart Manufacturing Convergence major will do its best to train professional manpower through the support of software education programs, global language, and customized employment tracks. Along with the establishment of a new major in Smart Manufacturing Convergence, graduate school co-op courses are also planned. The co-op courses aim to produce core engineers that will join the workforce of one of the government's eight leading projects and train undergraduate students as leaders in the field of manufacturing convergence.

Since most of the factories in Changwon National Industrial Complex are currently being converted into smart factories, the biggest expected influence of the establishment of the Smart Manufacturing Convergence major is to position itself as a producer of professional manpower in an industrial complex. There are many people loudly expressing worries about the lack of customized manpower at smart factory sites these days. Therefore, Changwon National University's Smart Manufacturing Convergence major is expected to play a pivotal role because it is vitally important to train specialized skills for the world's first smart industrial complex to succeed.

Cho Young-tae, the head of the Department of Smart Manufacturing Convergence at Changwon National University, said in an interview with The Campus Journal on February 26th, “Changwon is the most suitable city to foster talented people who will lead the nation's industrial development through high-tech manufacturing because it has historically played an important role in our country in the development of the mechanical industry. Therefore, by establishing a related major at Changwon National University, our school will establish a competitive edge to keep pace with the changes of the era.” He added, “We want to do our best to produce a small number of professionals in the workforce and establish the major as the flagship department of Changwon National University. I hope that many of the good students will be able to participate in the Smart Manufacturing Convergence major and Smart Manufacturing AI double major. Please continue showing your support and interest.”

By Park Jung-hyun,cub-reporter  jhgongju0903@gmail.com

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