Gachon University Partners with Kakao Entertainment to Foster Digital Talent Development

Gichul Lee, President of Gachon University (right), is taking a commemorative photo with Sangyeop Baek, CEO of Kakao Enterprise, after signing a "Business Agreement for the Establishment of a Higher Education Innovation Platform" in the university president's office on the 4th.

[Asia Economy (Seongnam) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gachon University is partnering with a leading domestic conglomerate to nurture digital talent in order to address the shortage of digital workforce amid the acceleration of digital transformation.

On the 4th, Gachon University announced that it signed a "Business Agreement for Building a Higher Education Innovation Platform" as part of the "Campus Software Academy" project promoted by Kakao Enterprise and the Ministry of Science and ICT.

This program involves a boot camp-style software academy established within the university's AI and Software Department by the company, aiming to cultivate well-rounded software professionals who have not only basic coding skills but also software theory and project-based training.

Gachon University, together with Kakao Enterprise and its partners, will directly operate an intensive course where students take customized subjects and work in teams to carry out industry-level projects.

Tuition fees will be supported for participating students, and up to 150 students who complete the course will receive certificates along with internship opportunities linked to employment within the Kakao community, including Kakao Enterprise, DK Techin, and Exn2.

This program has been funded with 5.25 billion KRW over three and a half years by the Ministry of Science and ICT since last month. Each semester, 50 to 60 students with basic software competencies will be recruited, totaling 390 students. The curriculum consists of 336 hours of three on-site mirror-type projects during the semester and 320 hours of full-time practical projects proposed by companies during vacations, totaling 656 hours of education.

President Lee Gil-yeo of Gachon University emphasized, "The launch of this academy will serve as a model to simultaneously solve the shortage of software talent and the mismatch between companies and universities. Through company-led intensive project education, we will nurture practical software engineers capable of delivering immediate results in the field."

Meanwhile, ahead of the MOU between Kakao, Gachon University, and Kakao Enterprise, on the 24th of last month, Kakao installed life-sized figures of its characters 'Ryan' (195cm) and 'Apeach' (150cm) in front of Gachon University's Infinite Great Award, becoming a popular photo spot among students.

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