Sookmyung Women's University Partners with KGCCI to Connect Students with Internships and Jobs at German Companies Including Siemens and BMW

[Financial News] Sookmyung Women's University is partnering with the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI), which counts around 500 global German companies—including Siemens and BMW—as members, to connect students with overseas corporate internships and employment opportunities.
Sookmyung Women's University announced on the 17th that it held a meeting with the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry at its campus in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, the previous day to discuss expanding industry-academia cooperation through global company-linked education, internships, new recruitment tracks and joint research and development. The two institutions plan to build a sustainable partnership beginning with this meeting and sign a formal memorandum of understanding soon.
The partnership goes beyond one-off lectures or exchanges. It focuses on creating a practical pathway through which students can work on industry projects and move on to actual employment. The two sides agreed to pursue joint research and development and project-based practical training in advanced STEM fields, including artificial intelligence, computer science and bioengineering, while establishing internship and linked recruitment tracks with German-affiliated companies in Korea and abroad.
Germany's distinctive advanced vocational education system will also be incorporated into the university's regular curriculum. Sookmyung Women's University plans to integrate Ausbildung, the German-style dual work-study vocational education program operated in Korea by the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, along with mentoring programs offered by its member companies. It also plans to launch a customized, one-on-one career mentoring program connecting global women leaders with students through Women In koRea (WIR), the chamber's flagship platform for developing female talent.
The partnership is expected to expand onto a major international business stage in Seoul at the end of next month. Sookmyung Women's University has been officially invited to the 19th German Business Conference Asia-Pacific, which will take place over three days from October 29. With major political and business leaders from Germany and the Asia-Pacific region—including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, German Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katherina Reiche, and Siemens Chairman Roland Busch—expected to visit Korea, Sookmyung Women's University plans to discuss specific cooperation initiatives with global companies at the event.
Moon Si-yeon, president of Sookmyung Women's University, said, "This is highly meaningful as it marks the first step in connecting Sookmyung's outstanding female talent with globally competitive German companies," and emphasized, "We will turn this cooperation into concrete initiatives so that students from a wide range of fields—including business and the humanities, as well as artificial intelligence, biotechnology and engineering—can experience global corporate workplaces firsthand and participate in projects."
Marie Antonia von Schönburg, representative of the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said, "It is meaningful to take the first step toward working with Sookmyung Women's University, which has produced future female leaders," adding, "Drawing on our broad network of German companies and expertise in vocational education, we will work together to build a partnership where students can fully demonstrate their professional capabilities."
Established in 1981, the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry is the second-largest among foreign chambers of commerce in Korea. It supports business exchanges and investment between companies in the two countries through the German Chambers of Commerce Abroad (AHK) network established in 93 countries worldwide. Around 500 major global corporations, including Siemens, Merck, Bosch, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and BASF, are members. 

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter