Ground Broken for 19.4 Billion-Won "Gyeongbuk Office of Education Future Vocational Education Center" on Former Gimcheon Jungang High School Site... Completion Set for April Next Year

On the 24th, the Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the (tentatively named) Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education Future Vocational Education Center on the former site of Gimcheon Jungang High School in Yangcheon-dong, Gimcheon-si, marking a meaningful first step toward laying the foundation for future vocational education in North Gyeongsang Province.

The Future Vocational Education Center will be built with a total project cost of 19.4 billion won, with one basement level and three above-ground floors, and a total floor area of 3,738.8 square meters. Starting with the establishment of the project plan in 2022, it has been promoted through related procedures such as fiscal investment review and design services, and is scheduled for completion in April 2027.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Future Vocational Education Center of the Gyeongbuk Office of Education is being held on the site of Gimcheon Jungang High School.

The Future Vocational Education Center is planned to be operated as a future-oriented vocational education hub that comprehensively provides exploration programs for vocational high schools, career aptitude tests, various future job experience programs using VR and AR, and industry-academia-linked education and employment support.

Approximately 150 people attended the groundbreaking ceremony, including Gyeongbuk Superintendent of Education Lim Jong-sik; Gyeongbuk Provincial Council Education Committee Chair Park Chae-ah and Vice Chair Cho Yong-jin; Gimcheon Mayor Bae Nak-ho; Gyeongbuk provincial council members representing the Gimcheon area; the chair and members of the Gimcheon City Council; Gimcheon Office of Education Superintendent Mo Tae-hwa; the Gimcheon School Steering Committee Chairpersons’ Council; the Gyeongbuk Green Mothers’ Association; the Student Counseling Volunteer Association; the Gimcheon Jungang High School Alumni Association; and officials from local schools.

The event began with a preliminary performance by the Yangeumpokpo Nongak Troupe, followed by a project progress report, a commemorative address by the superintendent, congratulatory remarks by key guests, a safety pledge ceremony, and a blasting demonstration.

In particular, during the safety pledge ceremony, executives and employees of the construction company took a safety oath, vowing to create an accident-free worksite with not a single safety incident, reaffirming their commitment to carrying out construction with safety as the top priority.

Gyeongbuk Superintendent of Education Lim Jong-sik said, "Today’s groundbreaking for the Future Vocational Education Center is a significant first step toward cultivating experts who will be recognized not only in Gyeongsangbuk-do and across Korea, but also in industrial sites around the world," adding, "Together with the Convergence Career Experience Education Center that is scheduled to be built, it will become a core foundation supporting the hope and development of North Gyeongsang Province’s future industries."