Science ministry honors top ICT internship firms and students

The Ministry of Science and ICT visited artificial intelligence firm Nota AI on Thursday to inspect internship conditions before hosting an awards ceremony recognizing outstanding companies and students in its ICT credit-linked program.

Officials met with current interns and former hires, who proposed expanding project diversity and extending internship durations. The ministry pledged to reflect these views in future operations of the scheme.

Later that day, the ministry presented certificates to 15 high-performing individuals. The Pinkfong Company received the highest honor from the deputy prime minister for providing an environment that allowed students to build practical skills.

Launched in 2015, the initiative enables undergraduates to gain work experience at domestic and foreign AI and IT firms while earning academic credits. A total of 3,053 people have benefited from the program through 2025.

Graduates who completed field training under the program achieved an average employment rate of 89.3 percent over the past four years, surpassing the 71.2 percent average for engineering majors across higher education institutions.

"This project has contributed to the development of the ICT industry ecosystem over the past 10 years thanks to the passion and efforts of universities, companies and students," said Park Tae-wan, director general for information and communications industry policy. He added that the ministry would continue cooperating with stakeholders to provide substantial help to young people.