Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) Carbon Composites Industry Professional Workforce Training Project Group Project Director Joanna Cho (photo) received a Commendation from the Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy in recognition of her contributions to revitalizing and ensuring the stable operation of the Industrial Innovation Talent Growth Support Project.

The Carbon Composites Industry Professional Workforce Training Project Group began when it was selected in 2021 as a successful applicant for a Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy competition. The project operates as a consortium consisting of JBNU, Jeonju University, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Kyungpook National University, CAMTIC Comprehensive Technology Institute, Korea Research Institute of Ship and Ocean Equipment, Gumi Electronics & Information Technology Institute, and the Carbon–Hydrogen Convergence Industry Research Association, with the aim of training industrial talent to domestically produce and advance carbon composite technologies.

As the overall practical manager at the lead institution of JBNU's Carbon Composites Industry Professional Workforce Training Project Group, Project Director Cho was recognized for managing education and training that systematically reflected industry demand. This included industry–university(research) projects, a full-cycle, customized Learning Factory, and C2-Camp (Carbon Composites Camp), a program for transferring specialized experiential knowledge and building industry–academia–research networks. She also contributed to activating industry–academia–research linkages by delivering practical knowledge, skills, and know‑how from carbon composite industry experts to master's and doctoral students.

In particular, over the past three years the Industrial Innovation Talent Growth Support Project achieved quantitative results including 191 beneficiaries, 66 graduates, 33 employed, 34 industry–university projects, 21 developed courses, and 29 course improvements. The project has continuously worked to reduce industry workforce mismatches and strengthen job creation through industry–university–research linked education, company roundtables, employment support programs, and the discovery of consortium companies related to carbon composites.

Project Director Joanna Cho said, 'I am pleased to have been recognized for our long-standing efforts to secure competitiveness in training highly skilled personnel to alleviate industry workforce mismatches and promote industry–university collaboration.' She added, 'This project is progressing smoothly thanks to the unified cooperation of many professors and participating institutions, including Project Leader Myung‑jun Oh (Professor, Department of Organic Materials and Textile Engineering), who worked together for the Carbon Composites Industry Professional Workforce Training Project. We will do our best to train local talent into advanced specialists in the field of carbon composites.'