GCC Academy's Third Cohort: 84 Graduate, 27 Find Jobs or Start Businesses

1,000 Hours of Hands-On Training in Games, Webtoons, Animation and Immersive Content
Graduation Event Showcases Project Results and Employment Success Stories

A total of 84 trainees from the third cohort of GCC Academy completed 1,000 hours of training in game, animation, webtoon and immersive content production.

The Gwangju Institute of Information and Culture Industry Promotion (GICON) said on the 13th that it had held the “GCC Academy Third Cohort Festival” on the 11th at the Gwangju Immersive Content Cube (GCC). About 150 people, including trainees and representatives of partner companies, attended the event, which featured a graduation ceremony, an exhibition of project results, job placement programs and content lectures.

Graduates and officials pose for a commemorative photo at the graduation ceremony for the third class of GCC Academy, held on the 11th at the Gwangju Immersive Content Cube. Provided by the Gwangju Information and Culture Industry Promotion Agency.

GCC Academy is a program to train working-level professionals in the cultural content sector. It is hosted by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, and organized by GICON.

This year, the academy selected 108 trainees for its third cohort and provided a total of 1,000 hours of specialized training and company-linked projects. According to GICON, 84 trainees completed the program, and 27 found jobs or started businesses.

At the third cohort’s graduation ceremony, outstanding trainees presented their project results, followed by a video looking back on the training program. Ten outstanding graduates received awards. At the accompanying exhibition, trainees showcased works they had created in four fields: immersive video, games, animation and webtoons.

The event also featured examples of trainees turning the skills they had learned into employment. Kim Uiryeong, an outstanding trainee in the animation field, joined Pingo Entertainment after taking part in a company-linked project. She shared her experience with attendees at the event.

Programs were also arranged for trainees preparing to enter the workforce. A job placement program and mock interviews were held with eight partner companies taking part, while graduates, alumni from earlier cohorts and company representatives exchanged field experience and information at a networking event.

Lectures examining trends in content planning and AI video production followed. The conference, held under the theme “NEXT CONTENT 2026: Content That Gets Chosen,” featured J. Robin, author of the web novel “Becoming a Legend as a Cook in the Military,” and Kim Minseong, Asia Director of Hicksfield, a generative artificial intelligence (AI) platform. The two speakers introduced industry trends in content planning and AI video production.

A GICON representative said, “This graduation ceremony was a meaningful occasion for the trainees to see the efforts they have made bear fruit and pledge themselves to a new beginning,” adding, “We hope that graduates will continue to develop their capabilities and grow in the content industry.”

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