Bio-industry Faces 3.5% Talent Shortage... Songdo to Cultivate 2,000 Professionals Annually

 

National Bio-processing Training Center in Songdo, Incheon

Expands programs to career returnees and non-majors

Practice-oriented curriculum to enhance field adaptability

Producing 2,000 practical experts per year

 

A panoramic view of the National Bio-processing Training Center, which opened last November at Yonsei University’s International Campus in Songdo International City, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon. This government-led center has been operating regular educational courses since this year. (Photo provided by Incheon Free Economic Zone Authority)

 

Ms. Lee (33), a former employee of a bio-company, experienced a career break following marriage and childbirth. However, she is currently undergoing retraining at the National Bio-processing Training Center (K-NIBRT) located at Yonsei University’s International Campus in Songdo, Incheon. Preparing to re-enter the workforce in the Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) sector, Ms. Lee stated, "I was able to reorganize the overall flow of bio-processes required in the actual field."Similarly, Choi(29), who majored in chemistry, completed K-NIBRT’s bio-processing course last year with government support. Choi noted, "Practicing the entire antibody process—including cultivation, purification, and analysis—was immensely helpful in understanding process data management and quality analysis procedures."

 

• ●Full-Scale Launch of Bio-Process Training Programs
• As demand for bio-industry professionals continues to surge, Songdo International City is expanding its role beyond a production hub to include education and retraining functions. According to the Incheon Metropolitan Government on the 22nd, the Bio-Process Workforce Training Center, which officially opened last November, has launched its regular curriculum this year.

 

The curriculum includes specialized programs for associate degree holders, vocational training for high school students, and courses for female scientists. Given the importance of practical skills in the bio-industry, the center has increased the proportion of hands-on training using equipment identical to actual corporate production facilities.

 

Notably, the center focuses on ensuring workplace adaptability rather than mere theory. Training is conducted using process equipment used by bio-firms, covering the entire production process and quality control flow. The core curriculum, the ‘(KNOT)’ course, is subdivided into levels from basic to advanced. In addition to existing antibody, vaccine, and cell/gene therapy courses, new modules for ‘Bio-regulatory Affairs’ and ‘Bio-quality Assurance and Management’ have been added this year.

 

The center also provides training for current employees to reflect industrial demand. This includes customized education considering the process environments of major bio-companies such as Samsung Biologics and Celltrion, as well as Biopharma 4.0 practical courses reflecting process automation trends.

 

An educational system for non-majors has also been established. The curriculum has been reorganized into three pillars—new skill, re skill, up skill—to foster practical, non-degree talent. Applications can be submitted through the Yonsei University K-NIBRT website. Han gyoon-hee, Director of the K-NIBRT Project Group, stated, "We are actively reflecting the shifting competencies required by the industry into our curriculum."

 

●Severe Shortage of Bio-talent: Infrastructure Expansion Remains a Task

According to the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association, the labor shortage rate in the bio-health sector was 3.5% as of the end of 2022, the highest among major manufacturing industries. Bio-industry analysts suggest that the labor shortage persists as demand for talent expands into technology transfer and clinical development fields.

 

In response, the government established a plan to train 110,000 bio-health experts by 2027. In 2021, it collaborated with Ireland’s National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT) to introduce its world-class curriculum to Korea. Yonsei University’s International Campus also opened the ‘K-NIBRT Training Center’ in 2022 to begin pilot programs.

 

Incheon City and Yonsei University have previously operated practical training for five modules of antibody medicine and vaccine processing (Cultivation, Purification, Finishing, Quality Control, and Facilities). To further these efforts, Incheon completed a training center with a total floor area of 6,600㎡ and officially opened the National Bio-processing Training Center last November. The center has been certified following a quality audit by the NIBRT headquarters in Ireland. Incheon Mayor Yoo Jeong-bok said, "Incheon will further solidify an innovative ecosystem where education, research, and industry create a virtuous cycle to complete the ‘Bio Mega Cluster’."

 

Reported by Jun-ho Cha, run-juno@donga.com

 

https://www-donga-com.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.donga.com/news/amp/all/20260222/133336666/1