Hyundai Mobis, the parts-making unit of Hyundai Motor Group, said Wednesday it aims to bolster its software prowess in preparation for the future of transportation where software will enrich driver and passenger experiences.

As part of its efforts, the firm has launched a four-week training course called “Mobis SW Academy,” which focuses on automotive software engineering and embedded software technology crucial for developing automotive parts.

Job seekers can join the program, and top performers are offered a full-time job after additional evaluation tests. The number of those recruited through this program has reached double-digits, the company noted.

Hyundai Mobis is also working to diversify its talent pipeline by recruiting scholars of partner universities and those enrolled in master’s or doctorate programs in partnered departments. These students are also offered an opportunity to join the company’s research and development labs even before their graduation.

Apart from recruiting talent, the company is supporting its own in-house researchers with training programs to develop software skills. One such program covers some 50 area-specific skills including programming language, artificial intelligence and big data.

Such initiatives to nurture the talent pool is combined with efforts to foster mutual cooperation and coordination across the software industry. Notably, Hyundai Mobis joined hands with 13 domestic software developers last March to wean Korea off reliance on foreign technology. Specifically, the Hyundai subsidiary provided a system platform to which each contractor added up its own software technology to complete an indigenous software solution.

Areas of collaboration included autonomous driving (recognition algorithm, AI computing), infotainment (web cloud service, passenger-specific recognition, graphic solution), and platform standardization.

By Ahn Ju-hee (dianahn@heraldcorp.com)