Gyeongnam Province and UNIST Join Hands to Foster AI Talent

‘AI Novatus Academia’ Gyeongnam Course 1st Term Opening

30 Participants Start in 1st Term, Aiming to Train 300 Over Next 5 Years

The opening ceremony for the 1st class of the AI Novatus Academia Gyeongnam Course was held on the 4th at Gyeongnam Technopark.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] On the 4th, Gyeongsangnam-do held the opening ceremony for the 1st class of the AI Novatus Academia Gyeongnam course at the Gyeongnam Technopark Information Industry Promotion Headquarters.

The AI Novatus Academia Gyeongnam course is a specialized AI utilization workforce training program jointly promoted by Gyeongsangnam-do and Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST).

It was established to foster smart manufacturing industries in preparation for the 4th Industrial Revolution and to cultivate customized AI professionals needed in manufacturing production processes.

For the 1st class, 30 participants were selected considering industry, region, and job duties from 52 applicants working in industrial companies in the Gyeongnam area.

The curriculum is designed to enhance AI utilization skills and problem-solving abilities in industrial sites, with UNIST faculty directly teaching. The program combines 8 weeks of theoretical education and 12 weeks of project-based practical training.

The theoretical education covers understanding AI principles such as Python and deep learning, along with industrial application cases. The practical training involves project-based exercises where employees bring their company data to solve problems directly.

Gyeongsangnam-do conducted corporate consulting from the planning stage of the education to identify on-site issues of local component and equipment companies and prepared a customized AI education program to address these problems.

They stated that the program consists of on-site briefings, company visits, phone promotions, and tailored education based on company needs.

Those who could not participate in the 1st class can apply for the 2nd course planned for the second half of the year, and the province plans to train 300 industrial workers as AI specialists over the next five years.

In February last year, the Changwon National Industrial Complex was designated as a specialized complex for materials, parts, and equipment by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, focusing on AI-based precision machining equipment.

Starting this year, with 57.6 billion KRW in national funding, projects such as establishing an AI-based precision machining demonstration test bed that integrates AI into precision machining equipment to build optimized systems will be promoted for five years to localize ultra-precision machining equipment.

Kim Young-sam, Director of the Industrial Innovation Bureau, said, “The demand for AI-utilizing talent is increasing across all industrial sectors. We hope this will be a great opportunity for trainees to grow into AI experts and accelerate the innovative growth of regional industries.”