Five Vocational Education Innovation Districts Selected: Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Jinju, Cheonan

Vocational High Schools, Companies, and Universities Collaborate to Operate Educational Programs in Regional Strategic Industry Sectors

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The Ministry of Education has selected Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Sacheon·Jinju·Goseong, and Cheonan as target areas for the Vocational Education Innovation Zone project.

On the 16th, the Ministry of Education announced the results of the new selection for the Vocational Education Innovation Zone project, which involves collaboration between vocational high schools and local governments. Twelve zones applied, and five were selected.

The Vocational Education Innovation Zone refers to a vocational education support system where local vocational high schools, regional companies, and universities participate to operate innovative zone curricula, aiming to cultivate high school graduates who will lead regional industrial development through cooperation between local governments and education offices. The selected project teams will carry out the project for two years until 2023, with budgets supported differentially based on the first-year project evaluation results. The total project budget this year is 2.2 billion KRW, with 400 million KRW supported per zone.

The Ministry of Education considered the concreteness and feasibility of the innovative zone curriculum, the potential contribution to regional vocational education, the appropriateness of regional strategic industrial sectors, plans for forming and operating cooperation systems between education offices and local governments, budget and personnel securing, and the possibility of ordinance enactment. To effectively promote the project in the selected zones, project plans must be supplemented by reflecting the evaluation committee's opinions.

The strategic industrial sectors by region are ▲Busan: intelligent manufacturing, global tourism, financial management information, life care ▲Incheon: aircraft repair, maintenance, modification, bio ▲Daegu: intelligent factories ▲Gyeongnam Sacheon·Jinju·Goseong: aviation industry ▲Chungnam Cheonan: semiconductors, displays, smart machinery, automobile parts.

Busan plans to establish a Vocational Education Innovation Zone Support Center at the Busan City Hall and deploy dedicated personnel from the city hall and education office to present an exemplary case of a management system between local governments and education offices. Incheon aims to produce 50 graduates annually in the aviation MRO and bio sectors each. They plan to involve leading companies such as Samsung Biologics and Celltrion to operate early employment-type contract departments at local universities.

Daegu will recognize career experience by supporting parallel degree programs such as associate and bachelor's degrees for employed individuals who complete the curriculum. Gyeongnam Sacheon·Jinju·Goseong will provide benefits such as hiring incentives, financial privileges, and additional points for selection as excellent employment companies to participating companies linked to the aviation industry. Cheonan will connect the three strategic industries by reorganizing vocational high school departments within the region, supporting credit systems, and linking startup support with new enterprise complexes.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education Yoo Eun-hye said, "Vocational high school students are talents who can lead regional development by working in local companies after graduation," adding, "I hope the innovative zone curriculum, operated through cooperation among vocational high schools, local companies, and local universities based on a regional management system, will become a cradle for nurturing talents that the regional industrial sector will pay attention to in the future."

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