POSCO : Improves Employee Competencies with “New Collar” Program

l POSCO adopts 'New Collar Level Certification' program to create new value using AI and Big Data
l CEO Jeong-Woo Choi says, 'Our employees will become New Collar talents who lead digital innovation and create shared values.'
l 2,000 materials uploaded on POSTube, POSCO's internal video sharing platform, which is referred to as a 'Work Manual' for MZ generation

POSCO is set to foster 'New Collar' talents who can actively respond to future changes and create new values.

Following the global trend of digital transformation, POSCO has set a goal to foster 'New Collar,' who use new IT technologies to improve work and create new value. So, it plans to implement the 'New Collar Level Certification' program for all employees.

POSCO's 'New Collar Level Certification' program categorizes employees' IT competency into four levels and provides training accordingly so as to help employees utilize IT technology to accomplish their work. The contents of the training will cover a wide range of subjects from basic IT knowledge to programming using AI algorithms. POSCO plans to systematically nurture New Collar talent by integrating and subdividing various pre-existing AI and Big Data application training, from basic data utilization courses to in-depth courses, like the AI application expert course.

POSCO will grant level certifiers with benefits to raise interest and participation and establish a way of working driven by data. The certifiers of each level will receive additional points for promotion, preferential treatment when applying for working overseas, and opportunities to study abroad to acquire degrees in related fields.

Last month, POSCO CEO Jeong-Woo Choi had emphasized preparations for future changes in the industrial environment saying, 'As POSCO has become a steelmaker integrated with fourth industrial technologies, its members need to be transformed into New Collar talents, who will lead digital innovation and create shared values, through Collective Intelligence.'

▲ 포A POSCO Master is taking a video for the company's video-sharing platform, POSTube, to provide work training for MZ generation employees

In addition, POSCO is working on enhancing employees' competency through 'POSTube,' its own video platform for sharing techniques, under the digital innovation era. 'POSTube' is an internal platform that allows veteran employees to pass on field techniques through short video clips. The platform is considered as a solution in preparation for rapid generation change triggered by the retirement of high-skilled seniors and the employment of the MZ generation. It has become a field manual, since it provides solutions on the spot. The 'Masters Tube' is one of the representative contents on the platform and features 18 former and current POSCO masters who have contributed to the company's development with world-class technology. It conveys the know-how accumulated over 30 years, including the basic principles of operation.

As of October this year, about 2,000 POSTube video clips have been produced across all areas of work, including safety, steelmaking, maintenance, and office jobs. The cumulative views reach about 170,000. POSTube shows practical learning effects since it facilitates understanding through video format, repetitive learning, and comparison of cases in other factories, so the number of video productions and their usage is continuing to increase.

Meanwhile, POSCO has been operating a system to encourage the acquisition of professional qualifications since 2003 to strengthen the job expertise of employees. The classification ranges from S-class, the highest, to B-class, and incentives are provided according to job relevance and difficulty. By promoting system reform this year, a total of 1,690 professional qualifications were obtained this year, exceeding 11% compared to the same period last year as of the end of October.