Ministry of Education to Invest 24 Billion Won in Junior Colleges to Build Regional AI Talent Hubs

Junior colleges are being transformed into regional hubs for nurturing artificial intelligence (AI) talent. They will cultivate specialized technical professionals with AI competencies regardless of their major, and will also operate customized AI education programs for local residents and workers.

원본보기 아이콘

On February 4, the Ministry of Education announced the basic plan for the "2026 Academic Year ADI (AI+Digital) Transition-Focused Junior College Support Project."

This plan aims to foster junior colleges as regional hubs for AI and digital education. It focuses on enabling not only enrolled students but also local residents and workers to learn and utilize AI at junior colleges. Through this, the government intends to support the systematic spread of AI capabilities at the regional level.

Through an open call for proposals, the Ministry of Education plans to select around 24 junior colleges and provide up to 1 billion won per project group (a total of 24 billion won). The main initiatives include: ▲creating an AI and digital transformation (DX) environment ▲strengthening customized AI capabilities for students, faculty and staff, and local residents ▲building college-specific specialized models.

To enable students to use AI in learning related to their majors, junior colleges will expand practice labs and platforms, and will also provide accounts that allow students, faculty, and staff to use generative AI.

In addition, by analyzing curricular and extracurricular performance data for each student, the ministry will help junior colleges establish AI-based student support systems that can design career and employment pathways or predict the risk of dropout.

Regardless of their major, enrolled students will complete related courses ranging from basic AI to major-linked competencies, so that they can acquire field-oriented practical skills. For faculty and staff, the ministry will support training in AI teaching methods, while also encouraging the participation of industry experts in teaching to strengthen the professionalism of AI education.

For local residents and workers, junior colleges will open flexible short-term programs such as online and evening classes, providing opportunities to strengthen both basic AI skills and job-related AI competencies.

Each participating college will establish an "AI and digital transformation specialized model" that combines regional industries with the college’s own strengths. Each college can freely choose the models it needs, such as ▲improving the departmental structure ▲data-based student support ▲industry-academia cooperation education ▲greater flexibility in academic systems. The ministry also plans to lead AI and digital transformation across junior colleges by discovering and sharing best practices through competitions and contests.

Minister of Education Choi Kyojin said, "In the era of artificial intelligence and digital transformation, nurturing specialized technical professionals with AI capabilities is essential," adding, "Through this project, we will actively support junior colleges so that they can serve as hubs for lifelong vocational education that embrace not only enrolled students but also local residents and workers."

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.