At Vision College of Jeonju, a vocational school in North Jeolla Province, on March 5, 29 international students were practicing in a 200-square-meter training room with 12 precision machines, including lathes and milling machines. The students, enrolled in the Department of Future Mobility (Automobile Engineering) international class, included 18 from Vietnam, 10 from Myanmar, and one from Bangladesh, with 10 female students among them. As they learned to operate the machines, they communicated in fluent Korean, occasionally mixing in their native languages.
Pial (26), who left his studies in physics and chemistry at a university in Bangladesh three years ago to enroll at Vision College of Jeonju, said, “I like Jeonju and hope to work at a factory in North Jeolla Province. I also plan to take the naturalization test in the future. I was the first Bangladeshi student here, but word spread back home, and now four more students have joined this year.”
Vision College of Jeonju has been rapidly increasing its international student intake after joining a government program for training foreign technical workers in root industries. The program, run by the Korea National Ppuri Industry Center (KPIC) under the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, allows schools to set their own foreign student quotas based on educational conditions. However, they must undergo annual government evaluations on employment rates and training quality. Students in this program first spend about a year learning Korean at a language institute, then study automotive parts and machinery for two years. To cover tuition and living costs, many work part-time at convenience stores and restaurants while attending classes during the day. After passing their graduation exams, they typically secure jobs at domestic automotive parts manufacturers.
The number of foreign freshmen in the Future Mobility Department grew from 30 to 50 in 2023 and jumped to 119 last year. This year, the department plans to admit 120 more international students from Vietnam, Myanmar, and other countries by the second semester. As foreign enrollment increased, faculty and training equipment also expanded. Over the past two years, the department added two more professors, bringing the total to seven. The number of lathes and milling machines increased from nine to 12, while welding machines grew from 12 to 20.
“During graduation season, factories in the Honam and Yeongnam regions, as well as in Ansan, frequently call asking if we can send them a few graduates,” said Professor Baek Il-hyun of Vision College of Jeonju. “Everyone must now accept that without foreign students, both education and industry cannot be sustainable.” Graduates of this program are in high demand among domestic manufacturers struggling with labor shortages, as they have much stronger Korean language skills than most other foreign workers.
The push to recruit more international students comes as Korea’s school-age population declines. The Future Mobility Department at Vision College of Jeonju, which used to admit 100 Korean students each year, has seen domestic enrollment fall to around 50 over the past decade. To secure tuition revenue and keep the school running, it has turned to foreign students.
The government’s program for training foreign technical workers in root industries now includes 12 vocational colleges, such as Vision College of Jeonju, Geoje University, and Kunjang University College in Gunsan, offering courses in mechanical and automotive engineering. The number of freshmen in the program has grown rapidly, from 260 in 2021 to 500 in 2023 and 879 last year. To attract more students, schools like Geoje University are holding recruitment seminars at partner institutions abroad, including universities in Kyrgyzstan. South Korea had 210,000 international students as of last year, and the Ministry of Education plans to increase this number to 300,000 by 2027.
Local governments are also stepping up efforts to bring in foreign students to offset the shrinking school-age population. Busan, for example, is hosting university admission roadshows in Japan, Central Asia, and other regions this year. The city also plans to offer legal and housing support to help international students settle in Busan after graduation. A Busan city official said, “With the population of Korea’s second-largest city declining, we will expand support to help international students become part of Busan’s workforce.”
