Ministry of Education Selects Daejeon as New Vocational Education Innovation District
Local Governments, Education Offices, Businesses, and Universities Join Forces for Tailored Talent Development
Expanded to a Total of 16 Districts
On July 8, Daejeon Metropolitan City and the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education were newly added to the list of 'Vocational Education Innovation Districts,' a program that fosters local talent through cooperation among businesses, universities, and related organizations.
On this day, the Ministry of Education announced that the Daejeon district has been selected as a new addition in the '2026 Vocational Education Innovation Districts New Project Call.'
The Vocational Education Innovation District is a project led by local governments and education offices, aiming to connect education, employment, and settlement for local talent in an integrated manner. The project operates customized curricula tailored to the demands of local strategic industries and links employment at local companies with continued learning at universities, as well as supporting young people to settle in the region. Through these measures, the goal is to cultivate talent necessary for regional industries and establish a virtuous cycle that encourages young people to remain and prosper locally.
Launched in 2021, the program is currently being implemented in eight metropolitan districts (Seoul, Busan, Incheon, Daegu, Ulsan, North Gyeongsang, North Jeolla, South Jeolla-Gwangju) and seven basic districts (Cheonan, Dangjin, Changwon, Ansan, Gimhae, Pohang, Sacheon-Jinju-Goseong). The annual project budget is 750 million won per metropolitan district and 350 million won per basic district. With the addition of the Daejeon district, there are now a total of 16 participating districts.
The Daejeon district has set its vision as "Learning, Working, and Living—All in Daejeon FIT (Find In Talent)," and will establish a vocational education cooperation system in fields such as semiconductors, smart factories (intelligent manufacturing), robotics, smart controls, drone surveying, and railway vehicle management. Its flagship program is the 'DJ (Dream & Job) New 365 Matching Day,' which supports students from career planning to employment at outstanding companies.
The Ministry of Education plans to further strengthen tailored talent development linked to regional strategic industries, with vocational education innovation districts at the core. In particular, the ministry aims to establish a local talent development system where education, employment, further learning, and regional settlement are organically connected.
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Jang Hongjae, policy chief of the Ministry of Education’s School Policy Bureau, stated, "The Vocational Education Innovation District enables regions to directly nurture the talent they need and supports young people to grow and settle in their communities. We hope to see the ecosystem for vocational education—created together by regions, schools, businesses, and universities—expand even further."
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