Korea Polytechnics adds KOLAS-accredited courses to regular curriculum

Korea Polytechnics said Tuesday it has begun teaching courses accredited by the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme as part of its regular curriculum, letting students earn academic credit and a national certificate in a single class.

The vocational college received accreditation in September for two precision-measurement courses covering length and electricity, adding to two calibration and testing courses accredited last year. It now runs four KOLAS-accredited courses as regular subjects, and the electrical course is the first of its kind accredited at a Korean university.

KOLAS, operated by the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards under the industry ministry, assesses whether laboratories that perform calibration and testing are trustworthy. Its reports are recognized abroad under mutual recognition agreements. About 1,340 organizations are accredited as of October 2026, including the Korea Testing Laboratory, the Korea Testing Certification and the Korea Road Traffic Authority.

Calibration involves checking an instrument against a reference — verifying that a factory ruler measures 10 centimeters accurately, for example. Staff working as quality managers or technical personnel at accredited organizations must complete KOLAS-approved training and pass an examination. Previously they had to pay hundreds of thousands of won in tuition to separate training institutions, but Korea Polytechnics students can now obtain both credit and the certificate through their regular classes.

Classes began in October at five campuses — Seongnam, Hwaseong, Busan, Jinju and the semiconductor convergence campus — for 215 students across nine departments, taught by working assessors including senior KOLAS calibration assessors and Korean master craftsmen. The college plans to expand the program to 15 departments and 510 students in the first semester of next year.

"Students leave for the field having completed state-recognized training at school and holding the certificate, so it will be a great help in their job search," an official at Korea Polytechnics said.

"We will realize education that can be put to use immediately after learning by continuing to connect credible training demanded by industrial sites to our regular curriculum," the official said.