Jungjingong Nurtures AI Young Talent to Connect with Startups through 'Eodream'

AI Talent Development Involving Experts from Academia and Industry Including KAIST and NHN

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] The Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Minister Kwon Chil-seung, hereinafter referred to as the Ministry) and the Small and Medium Business Corporation (Chairman Kim Hak-do, hereinafter referred to as SBC) announced on the 30th that they are recruiting participants for the "Startup-Youth Talent Connect Project" (hereinafter referred to as Connect Project), which nurtures young job seekers as artificial intelligence (AI) developers and links them to startup employment.

The Connect Project, piloted and operated by the Ministry and SBC, is a long-term intensive education program that nurtures young talent through theoretical education at the level of university AI-related majors and practical activities using Kaggle, a global AI competition, and supports employment matching with promising AI startups.

Anyone under the age of 29 who wants to grow as a developer in an AI startup, regardless of academic background or major, can participate. This year, it will be operated for eight months on a pilot basis, and all courses are free. The education is conducted in an all-day intensive face-to-face format, with instructors from academia and industry experts from KAIST, NHN, and others participating. Additionally, trainees will participate in actual projects of AI innovative ventures and startups, allowing them to build their own portfolios.

During the project period, trainees will have frequent access to information about working conditions at ventures and startups and AI developer tasks, and regular matching days will be held to increase the possibility of matching promising ventures and startups with young job seekers. The Connect Project is conducted in a dedicated space at SparkPlus in Hongdae, where there is a high influx of youth and a concentration of youth startups.

Chairman Kim Hak-do said, "With the acceleration of digital transformation, ventures and startups are facing difficulties in hiring talent in the AI field, and young people are experiencing mismatches as they cannot find jobs," adding, "Based on the know-how gained from successfully operating the AI-specialized curriculum at the Global Startup Academy, SBC will swiftly nurture young talent in the AI field who can be immediately deployed to the field after training and provide one-stop support up to employment at promising startups."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.