Hyundai Motor Co. will hire up to 1,000 Meister high school graduates over a 10-year period starting next year.

The plans were revealed in a memorandum of understanding the carmaker signed with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology to collaborate on related issues on Tuesday.

Introduced last year, Meister high schools are high-quality vocational schools designed to diversify education as well as to resolve worsening job and skill mismatches in the labor market.

The high schools are supposed to cultivate skilled workers under agreements with industrial enterprises and local governments,

Twenty-one high schools meeting this description were opened last year and seven others are scheduled to open next year, eight of which teach skills required in the automotive industry.

The vocational skills taught at such schools range from those required in the electronics and automotive industries to medical and port operations.

Under the agreement, the carmaker will hire 100 graduates of Meister high schools specializing in automotive vocational skills next year, and hire a total of 1,000 students from Meister high schools over the following nine years.

Hyundai will also provide additional education and training after school hours and during vacations. Students selected for Hyundai-sponsored courses will also be given a chance to experience working at the company’s facilities in order to develop skills required in the auto industry, the carmaker said.

The company will also provide 5 million won ($4,600) to students selected for its program until they graduate.

Those who have successfully completed the Meister high school education and its specialized programs will be hired as regular contract workers, Hyundai officials said.

By Choi He-suk  (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)