Recruitment for 4 Matchup Business Areas... Linked with K-MOOC Starting This Year

New Matchups This Year Provided in Linkage with K-MOOK
Fields Selected in 2018 Also Eligible... Deadline March 31

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Jinju] The government is recruiting four fields to participate in the online job training program 'Match-Up,' which is jointly created by new technology companies and educational institutions.

On the 25th, the Ministry of Education and the National Institute for Lifelong Education announced that they will release the basic plan for the 'Industry-tailored Short-term Job Competency Certification Course (hereafter Match-Up)' project on the 26th. The Ministry of Education will invest 2.1 billion KRW to expand the operating fields and enhance the online platform to expand the Match-Up project.

The Match-Up project refers to online educational courses jointly created by representative companies in new industries and educational institutions. When representative companies and educational institutions propose fields and apply, suitability is judged considering the industry's prospects and educational necessity. The participating representative companies and educational institutions develop and operate the curriculum and job competency certification evaluation, and learners can study specialized job fields to connect to employment or receive recognition as educational hours.

Since its implementation in 2018, the annual number of learners reached 17,209 last year, growing 3.5 times compared to the previous year, showing rapid growth. Last year, smart city (Naver, MS), intelligent automobiles (Hyundai Motor) were selected, and in 2019, blockchain (SK Networks), new energy automobiles (Hyundai Motor), and smart farm (LG CNS) participated.

From this year, the Ministry of Education will provide newly selected Match-Up courses linked with the Korean Massive Open Online Course (K-MOOC). K-MOOC is a service where anyone can take excellent courses from universities and institutions for free. They also plan to provide a course system that can connect K-MOOC open courses as basic courses.

To newly participate in the Match-Up project, representative companies in new industries and educational institutions must form a consortium. They must prepare a business plan and submit related documents to the National Institute for Lifelong Education by 6 p.m. on March 31. The selection results are scheduled to be announced in May. Up to 320 million KRW per consortium will be supported this year for curriculum and job competency development costs.

Fields selected in 2019 and 2020 are excluded from the newly selected fields. AI, big data, and smart logistics fields selected in 2018 are eligible to apply. Extra points will be given to fields preferred by learners in the 2020 Fourth Industrial Revolution education demand survey. These fields include AI, big data, 3D printing, Internet of Things, drones, and AR·VR.

Gu Yeon-hee, Director of the Lifelong Future Education Bureau at the Ministry of Education, said, "This year will be the first year for the Match-Up project to develop learner-friendly education by linking with K-MOOC," and added, "We ask for active participation from excellent companies and educational institutions to nurture talent in new industry fields."