From December 5 to 6, 58 software-focused universities in South Korea will gather in one place. The Ministry of Science and ICT announced that they will host the ‘2024 Software Talent Festival’ from the 5th to the 6th to highlight the importance of nurturing software (SW) talent and promoting the value of SW.
This festival will integrate events related to SW-focused universities and outstanding SW talent cultivation projects, under the theme of ‘An AI World Connected by SW’, and will be conducted both offline and online.
During the festival, SW-focused universities and SW-related companies will come together in one place. Through 80 exhibition booths including SW university pavilions (58), SW company pavilions (7), and SW experience zones (5), participants will have the opportunity to view excellent works and experience SW company products.
In the ‘SW University Pavilion’, excellent works from each university will be displayed, and information related to admissions will be provided, giving university students a chance to communicate and exchange with other universities. Prospective university students and parents will receive practical information and counseling for SW-related education and career paths.
The ‘SW Company Pavilion’ will offer a space to experience the latest SW/AI technologies firsthand. Participants will have the opportunity to experience the latest technologies from SW companies on-site, and students preparing for employment will receive professional job consultations.
The ‘SW Experience Zone’ is designed to allow event attendees to easily and enjoyably experience AI and SW. It offers technology experiences that are accessible to all, such as AI personal color testing, VR MBTI assessments, and a dreamlike garden that utilizes brainwave measurements to create immersive media mapping visuals.
Additionally, the SW-focused University Introduction Pavilion, TOPCIT (SW Competency Test) Introduction Pavilion, University-Enterprise Cooperation SW Academy Introduction Pavilion, and Digital Alliance Introduction Pavilion will showcase the present and future of SW education to visitors.
On the first day of the event, December 5, there will be a variety of programs including lectures from SW entrepreneurs and SW-focused university lectures, an opening ceremony, and a performance presentation of the University-Enterprise Cooperation SW Academy project. Notably, Dr. Kang Jung-soo, Director of the Research Center at Bluedot AI, will present on ‘AI Agent Era: Business Opportunities’, and Professor Kim Jeong-hyun from Sungkyunkwan University’s Global Convergence Division will give a lecture titled ‘In the AI Era, Humans Must Also Change to Survive’.
Furthermore, awards for the 2024 SW-Focused University Outstanding Work Contest, targeting students from SW-focused universities, will include the Minister of Science and ICT Award and 16 other awards (totaling 17 awards), along with six awards for essay contests and six for the Digital Talent Alliance. The performance presentation of the University-Enterprise Cooperation SW Academy Project will be held to share past achievements.
On the second day of the event, December 6, there will be presentations from the 17 award-winning teams of the SW-Focused University Outstanding Work Contest, showcasing how SW was used to solve challenges in corporate settings. This will be followed by the awarding of two popular prizes and a closing ceremony along with raffle events.
Kang Do-hyeon, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, “In this era of digital transformation, the future competitiveness of our country hinges on developing SW talent,” and expressed that “this festival is expected to be a catalyst in realizing the potential of next-generation SW talents and facilitating practical cooperation between industry and academia.”