JEONNAM-GWANGJU — Kim Dae-jung, superintendent of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Office of Education, formally proposed joint cooperation with local companies, local governments and universities to realize what the superintendent calls "locally produced, locally used education."
Speaking on the 9th at a ceremony declaring the office's 2026 vision for nurturing talent tailored to future strategic industries, held in the main auditorium of the AI Education Center, the superintendent said, "When companies' technological capabilities and the education office's educational capacity come together as one, Jeonnam-Gwangju will become a cradle of future talent that will lead South Korea's advanced industries." Kim added, "The education office will be a reliable partner to companies so that students can learn, work, grow and settle in the region," and stressed, "I ask the local community to join us in realizing locally produced, locally used education."
The ceremony was arranged to link corporate investment in the region with education and to build a regional talent development ecosystem running from education to employment, growth and settlement. That day, the Jeonnam-Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education invited local governments, business organizations, companies, universities and other institutions to take part in win-win cooperation for developing talent for future industries.
Choi Seung-bok, deputy superintendent for Gwangju, who declared the win-win cooperation proposal that day, said, "To nurture local talent and grow together as a region, the region must lay the foundation for corporate growth and education must prepare talent for future industries."
The deputy superintendent particularly emphasized the need for cooperation.
To that end, the education office presented five directions for cooperation: building a system to link local talent with hiring; jointly developing curricula tailored to companies and schools; sharing educational infrastructure; expanding on-site training and internships as well as field training for teachers; and supporting continued learning and skills training for high school graduates who have entered employment.
The office will also expand its framework for developing talent for future strategic industries in stages.
At the core is a four-part "STEP" strategy: S, operating specialized schools; T, restructuring departments; E, linking education and employment; and P, building a support system centered on an institute for talent in future strategic industries.
Through the strategy, the office plans to connect school education with corporate demand and strengthen a vocational education system that responds to changes in local industry.
The office will also put in place a support base to broaden corporate participation. It plans to recommend that the central government and local governments prepare substantive incentives and support measures so that companies can take part actively. It will also strengthen a standing cooperation framework that allows companies and schools to work together on a continuing basis.
Specialized education linked to companies and universities will be run at three schools being developed as agreement-based specialized vocational high schools in 2026: Gwangju Technical High School, Dongil Future Science High School and Naju Technical High School.
The ceremony drew 29 companies and related institutions, including the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City, the city of Naju, the Gwangju Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Energy Valley Industry-University Convergence Institute, the anchor project groups of Chonnam National University, Dongshin University and Dongkang University, Amkor Technology Korea and the Artificial Intelligence Industry Convergence Agency.
The education office presented plaques of appreciation to the institutions and companies that attended and have cooperated in developing local talent.
The superintendent said, "Locally produced, locally used education is a new model of future education created together by schools, companies and the region," adding, "We will gather our strength so that Jeonnam-Gwangju grows into a leading region in South Korea where education, jobs and settlement reinforce one another."
