SEA:ME partners with Volkswagen Group Korea to provide automotive-specific education through SEA:ME

'I-PBL' curriculum, including AI, is taught as a one-year course in California

Kookmin University is actively introducing programs to foster talents who will play an active role on the world stage based on the DNA of 'entrepreneurship' and is accelerating global projects. Entrepreneurship is a special educational philosophy of Kookmin University that is based on the 'community spirit' that cares about the lives of others and the 'pragmatic spirit' that fosters the talents that society needs. Examples include the SEA:ME program in Germany in collaboration with Volkswagen Group Korea and the I-PBL program in California, USA.

Learn automotive-specific software skills for a year

The Software Engineering in Automotive and Mobility Ecosystems (SEA:ME) program is a global program for students to learn automotive-specific software skills through a year-long project as part of the social responsibility activities of Kookmin University and Volkswagen Group Korea. The program is fully funded by Volkswagen Group Korea, and the students are trained at 42, a free coding school founded by Xavier Niel, Chairman of French telecommunications company Primobile. The program focuses on developing work-ready talent through hands-on global project experience rather than theory.

Throughout the year, students in the SEA:ME program work on real-world projects such as “Develop a car infotainment (audio and entertainment) system. The program is based on peer learning, with experts from science and industry as Fellows. All communication, including presentations, is conducted in a foreign language (English) to foster global awareness. Following the selection of four fellows in 2022, the second batch of 10 fellows sent last year completed their one-year program last month, and 10 fellows will be sent every year until 2025.

Programs to foster talent with specialized skills and competencies

The International Project based Learning (I-PBL) program is a curriculum that fosters human resources with the professional skills and competencies required by companies through the process of solving problems in the industrial field, and is held in California, USA. It is a one-year program in which students spend six months learning IT and English while working on a project and then intern at a Silicon Valley tech company for six months to gain hands-on experience. Students are personally mentored by a group of mentors from Silicon Valley companies and university research labs to help them develop into globally minded, hands-on professionals.

During the period of participation in the I-PBL program, students can earn up to 12 credits based on the credit transfer system, and during the fieldwork period, students can earn up to 18 credits (9 credits for majors) through the overseas fieldwork credit system. Kookmin University plans to send 60 students to the I-PBL program every year in fields such as future automobiles, next-generation communication, artificial intelligence (AI), big data, user interface (UX) and user experience (UI).

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