Gyeongbuk Office of Education Promotes Mungyeong Technical High School as 'Agreement-Type Specialized High School'... Industry-Academia-Government Partnership Agreement

Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) held a business agreement ceremony on the 16th at Mungyeong Office of Education to designate Mungyeong Technical High School as a Ministry of Education agreement-type specialized high school through an industry-academia-government cooperation agreement in the Mungyeong area.

An agreement-type specialized high school refers to a specialized high school that realizes customized education by forming agreements among the Office of Education, local governments, companies, and specialized high schools to nurture local industry talents under the vision of "talents growing together with the region, schools designed together with the region."

Gyeongbuk Office of Education

The Ministry of Education plans to select about 10 agreement-type specialized high schools in 2024 and designate 35 schools by 2027.

Each school forms a consortium and is selected through document evaluation and on-site evaluation (presentation evaluation). Upon selection, financial support of 3.5 to 4.5 billion KRW in special grants from the Ministry of Education will be provided, legal grounds for deregulation will be established to grant autonomy in curricula, and additional points will be given in national secondary vocational education policy projects, thereby providing financial support and autonomy.

At the agreement ceremony, 17 representatives and officials from institutions including Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Office of Education; Yoo Kwon-jong, Principal of Mungyeong Technical High School; Kim Hak-hong, Vice Governor of Gyeongbuk Province; Park Young-seo, Vice Chairman of Gyeongbuk Provincial Council; Gyeongbuk Provincial Assembly members Kim Chang-ki and Kim Kyung-sook; Park Geun-oh, Head of Gyeongbuk Fire Headquarters; Shin Hyun-guk, Mayor of Mungyeong; Hwang Jae-yong, Chairman of Mungyeong City Council; Kim Sang-dong, President of Gyeongbuk Provincial University; Kim Chang-eon, Director of Korea Seonbi Culture Training Center; Lee Dong-si, Chairman of Andong Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Bae Myung-jik, Chairman of Korea Skilled Technicians Federation attended to establish a governance agreement for nurturing and hiring talents in the firefighting field at Mungyeong Technical High School.

The Gyeongsangbuk-do Fire Headquarters plans to complete the 'Gyeongsangbuk-do Fire Equipment Technology Institute,' the nation's largest maintenance and firefighting vehicle specialized driving training facility, in Mungyeong by December 2027. To nurture and hire firefighting talents, they will provide financial support and practical training support to Mungyeong Technical High School through this agreement.

Additionally, various agreements with institutions will be conducted, including support for interest on monthly and yearly rental loans for regional settlement in Mungyeong City, program support for character competency enhancement by the Korea Seonbi Culture Training Center, and continuous talent recruitment by industries.

Mungyeong Technical High School plans to restructure its departments toward the firefighting field and open courses for acquiring the Ministry of Education agreement-type specialized high school designation by establishing qualification courses for firefighting equipment industry engineers (mechanical, electrical), aiming to nurture talents with expertise and character in the firefighting field.

Lim Jong-sik, Superintendent of Gyeongbuk Office of Education, said, "In the era of local autonomy, our vocational high schools should aim for local settlement along with the identity of vocational education, which is employment first and learning later." He added, "Through active communication and cooperation among local schools, local governments, companies, and related organizations, we will realize industry-tailored education linked to employment and actively support sustainable vocational education in Gyeongbuk."