Trainee intake cut to 220, 48 million won invested per person
Stronger full-cycle support from training to employment and startup
Gwangju Metropolitan City is completely overhauling its artificial intelligence (AI) core talent training system to focus on a new "advanced course." The city plans to reduce the number of trainees while nearly doubling per-capita investment to intensively nurture high-level talent that can lead the industrial field.
Gwangju Metropolitan City and Gwangju AI Academy are recruiting 220 trainees for the 7th cohort until March 31, 2026. This 7th cohort will be run as an "AI Advanced Course" with a revamped training system and investment structure.
Gwangju AI Academy is a professional talent training institution supported by Gwangju Metropolitan City, the Ministry of Science and ICT, the National IT Industry Promotion Agency, and the Artificial Intelligence Industry Convergence Project Group. Since its opening in 2020, it has produced 1,528 graduates over five years. The employment and startup rate among graduates of the recent 3rd to 5th cohorts is 76%.
The total project budget for the 7th cohort has been increased from 8.4 billion won to 10.5 billion won. The number of trainees has been reduced from 330 to 220. Per-capita training investment has risen from around 25 million won to around 48 million won. The focus is on nurturing a small group of elite, high-level talent.
The coding assessment will be strengthened at the selection stage. During the training program, a dedicated mentor will be assigned to each team. Each team will receive 10 million won in support to carry out a five-month project that covers the entire process of AI model planning, development, validation, and commercialization. The aim is to enhance practical capabilities in an environment similar to real industrial settings.
Support for trainees will also be expanded. The monthly living allowance will be raised from up to 550,000 won to 850,000 won. Transportation, meal, and accommodation expenses will be provided. Training equipment such as laptops and costs related to obtaining AI certifications will also be covered.
After completion, 10 prospective startups will be selected and receive up to 50 million won each for prototype development. If a local company hires a graduate, the city will subsidize labor costs by 2.4 million won per month for six months. This will strengthen a support system that connects training, employment, startup, and settlement.
Gwangju Metropolitan City is building an AI talent pipeline by creating an AI industrial convergence complex, promoting the establishment of an AI science high school, operating an Arm School, and linking with the local universities' RISE (Regional Innovation System & Education) project.
Mayor Kang Gijung stated, "We will develop Gwangju AI Academy into the nation’s top-level platform for nurturing AI talent."
Recruitment for the 7th cohort will be conducted through the Gwangju AI Academy website until March 31, 2026. Unemployed young people nationwide between the ages of 18 and 39 can apply. After document screening, coding practice evaluation, interviews, and completion of an online preparatory course, final selections will be made in April 2026.
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