Bearly AI(@bearlyai):In past 20 years, South Korea has developed "meister" high schools that are similar to German trade schools but specializing in semiconductor manufacturing. A campus profiled by NYT has 6 mock fabrication facilities for 300 students (who sleep in dormitories). Samsung and SK Hynix hire the top 1/3rd students of these schools. Students learn how to handle wafers, work in cleanroom suits and become experts in semiconductor chemicals and machinery. South Korea exported $173 billion of semiconductors in 2025 and manufactures 60% of global memory chips. Samsung's union has tied bonuses for assembly-line operators to the chip division's profits, which could hit up to $400,000 per employee...which is why getting into these schools is now as sought after as medical school in a previous generation.

2026.06.30 19:21

In past 20 years, South Korea has developed "meister" high schools that are similar to German trade schools but specializing in semiconductor manufacturing. A campus profiled by NYT has 6 mock fabrication facilities for 300 students (who sleep in dormitories). Samsung and SK Hynix hire the top 1/3rd students of these schools. Students learn how to handle wafers, work in cleanroom suits and become experts in semiconductor chemicals and machinery. South Korea exported $173 billion of semiconductors in 2025 and manufactures 60% of global memory chips. Samsung's union has tied bonuses for assembly-line operators to the chip division's profits, which could hit up to $400,000 per employee...which is why getting into these schools is now as sought after as medical school in a previous generation.