KAIDA NEWS

KAIDA signs MOU with universities

• MOU signed between KAIDA, its 13 members and 12 universities
• Agreement helps strengthen training in automotive maintenance

(December 13, 2013) - The Korea Automobile Importers and Distributors Association (Chairman: Jae H Jung) and its 13 member companies signed an MOU on mutual cooperation with 12 colleges with departments specializing in automotive engineering at Patio 9, in Nonhyun-dong, Seoul on December 12, 2013.

The MOU, which came as part of KAIDA's initiative to help train quality human resources for employment in Korea's automotive industry. The cooperation between industry and academia will focus on raising professionals in automobile maintenance to help the domestic auto industry grow alongside local colleges offering automotive-related curriculums.

Under the MOU, KAIDA, its 13 members and 12 colleges, will form a consultative body overseeing industry-academia collaboration to ensure smooth cooperation in raising quality human resources.

The 13 KAIDA members participating in the industry-academia collaboration are Mercedes Benz Korea, Volvo Car Korea, Stuttgart Sports Cars, Audi Korea, Jaguar Land Rover Korea, GM Korea, Chrysler Korea, Ford Korea, Volkswagen Korea, Nissan Korea, Toyota Motor Korea, Hanbul Motors and Honda Korea. The 12 colleges are Gyeonggi College of Science and Technology, Kookje College, Daelim College, Doowon Technical University College, Busan Institute of Science and Technology, Seoil University, Seojeong College, Shinhan University, Ajou Motor College, Yeoju College, Yeungnam College of Science and Technology and Korea Polytechnics, Jeongsu, Seoul.

KAIDA and its 13 members will offer diverse forms of support, including opportunities for students to learn new technologies involved in automobile maintenance, with support for the preparation of curriculums, donation of class materials such as diagnostic devices, internship opportunities, corporate information sessions, and special lectures.

The 12 colleges will strive to ensure that their students will be equipped with professional working knowledge, good language skills, and business minds. The colleges will make it a priority to encourage students to seek job opportunities among the member companies.

KAIDA’s initiative to help develop human resources for the local automotive industry springs from awareness that the availability of quality professionals with global competiveness is critical to the industry’s stronger presence in the global automotive market.

KAIDA has since 2009 provided financial support on an annual basis for students selected by an advisory committee consisting of professors from three local graduate schools of automotive engineering: Kookmin, Yonsei and Hanyang.

In 2013, KAIDA organized an Import Car Career Fair 2013 during the Seoul Motor Show to allow those seeking a career in imported car sales to collect information and possibly find job opportunities. The event also served to provide KAIDA members and their dealers with the opportunity to recruit qualified individuals.

“We make a wide range of efforts in support of the development of Korea’s automotive market,” said Jae H Jung, Chairman of KAIDA. “I expect that KAIDA’s industry-academia liaison initiative will increase the supply of quality human resources and, ultimately, help achieve higher service competitiveness across the local auto market."