South Korea semiconductor schools put teens on track for Samsung jobs
Vocational chip programs are drawing teens as graduates secure Samsung offers and employers seek more skilled semiconductor workers.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
South Korea semiconductor schools are drawing teenagers who want a faster route into the country’s chip industry than the university track. At Chungbuk Semiconductor High School, southeast of Seoul, 96.4% of students graduate with job offers, according to figures cited in reports on the school.
The shift comes as South Korea’s technology companies need trained workers for semiconductor production while some university graduates face a tighter job market. Students at the vocational high school study chip-related subjects alongside core academics, preparing them for factory and technical roles before they finish their teens.
What do South Korea semiconductor schools teach?
The programs combine regular high school courses such as calculus and chemistry with practical training in electronic-circuit design, clean-room procedures and contamination control. Those skills are used in semiconductor manufacturing, where dust, process errors and equipment handling can affect production.
No Jun-sik, a 17-year-old senior at Chungbuk Semiconductor High School, told The New York Times that he had tried to persuade middle-school friends to enroll with him. Many chose university instead, he said, adding: “A lot of them are now regretting that.”
No has received a job offer from Samsung, The New York Times reported. The Korea Times has reported that about one in four students from the school go directly to Samsung Electronics, South Korea’s largest company.
Samsung jobs can be lucrative. The Korea Herald reported that the average Samsung Electronics employee earned 158 million won, or about $107,300, last year. Under the company’s latest union agreement, semiconductor division employees, including assembly-line workers, could earn as much as $400,000 next year if profit targets are reached, according to reports on the agreement.
Why are chip jobs attracting students?
The appeal of vocational semiconductor training has grown as artificial intelligence reshapes hiring for young workers. Korea JoongAng Daily reported that more than 480,000 South Koreans with at least a university degree were unemployed in the second quarter of 2026, the highest level in five years.
The same outlet reported that unemployment among South Koreans ages 15 to 29 rose to 7.2%. AI is expected to add pressure to entry-level white-collar hiring, while also increasing demand for workers who can build and operate the hardware behind data centers and chip production.
The pattern extends beyond South Korea. In the United States, workers with at least a bachelor’s degree have faced a 2.7% unemployment rate, a level not seen since 2015 outside the pandemic, according to labor market reporting cited in the sector. Teenagers in the U.S. have also faced one of the weakest summer job markets in decades.
How big is the semiconductor worker shortage?
AI spending is pushing new investment into semiconductor plants and data centers in states including Texas, California, Arizona, New York and Ohio. Those projects need electricians, technicians, construction workers and advanced manufacturing staff.
Bloomberg, citing McKinsey research, reported that the U.S. semiconductor industry could be short about 157,000 skilled workers by 2030. The Semiconductor Industry Association says one in five semiconductor workers does not have a college degree, and the industry’s average annual salary was about $170,000 in 2020.
Other companies are putting money into trade training. JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon told CNBC that the U.S. needs 300,000 electricians, welders and similar workers to build ships over the next five to 10 years. JPMorgan Chase also announced $24 million in loans and grants tied to a submarine manufacturing and assembly facility expected to create 450 permanent jobs and expand workforce training.
Meta has launched a $115 million America’s Workforce Academy program to train data center technicians, with a guaranteed job at a Meta site after the five-week course, according to company reporting. Lowe’s has announced a $250 million plan to train 250,000 skilled trade workers in plumbing, carpentry and electrical work over the next decade.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.