Incheon City Launches 'Blockchain College' Operation... Fostering Practical Talent

Incheon City is accelerating efforts to cultivate blockchain experts who will lead the 4th Industrial Revolution.

On the 26th, the city announced that it will officially launch the 'Incheon Blockchain College' project to nurture local blockchain talent and strengthen technical capabilities, recruiting 220 trainees for basic and specialized education as well as courses for current employees.

The Blockchain College is one of the core tasks of the 'Blockchain Hub City Creation' initiative, a campaign pledge of Incheon City’s 8th term administration. It is an industry-academia-government collaborative human resource development project involving companies and local universities.

The curriculum is segmented by content and level, ranging from basic education to practical specialized training linked to employment, providing systematic demand-tailored education. The training will be conducted from next month through October.

In particular, this year, to establish a base for innovative growth of local blockchain companies, a new specialized course for current employees will be added and operated at the 'Incheon Blockchain Technology Innovation Support Center,' which will open in Michuhol Tower in Songdo International City. The course for current employees is designed to apply blockchain technology to actual business and to design future-oriented commercialization models. Through case-based classes and expert consulting, it aims to strengthen business planning capabilities utilizing blockchain technology.

An official from Incheon City stated, "With the acceleration of digital transformation, the demand for digital personnel in the industry is rapidly increasing. Through Blockchain College, we will discover capable practical talents and provide specialized education in new digital technologies, striving to establish a foundation for the local blockchain industry."

Blockchain Hub City Plan [Provided by Incheon City]

Blockchain refers to data tampering prevention technology based on distributed computing technology. Amid the global digital transformation era, South Korea’s IT industry trend is evolving toward blockchain-based technologies, and Incheon City also plans to proactively respond to technological changes such as Web3.0 and NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) in line with this trend.

In February last year, the city established a dedicated blockchain department and is currently conducting a research project to develop a comprehensive four-year plan (2023?2027) for creating a blockchain hub city. Through this project, the city plans to devise strategies for revitalizing the blockchain industry and enhancing the city brand, including the creation of a digital economic special zone based on blockchain technology, discovering Incheon-specific service models, nurturing talent, and attracting companies.

Incheon is home to more than 20 blockchain specialized companies and over 4,700 digital-related enterprises. Additionally, leading companies in the bio-industry sector such as Samsung Biologics and Celltrion, as well as an Artificial Intelligence (AI) Innovation Center, are also located in Incheon.