The Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL) will train more than 1 million workers to use artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030. It will support AI utilization training for young job seekers, middle-aged and older adults, and women with career breaks, and provide customized consulting for AI transition to small and midsize businesses.
The ministry announced a plan titled "Measures to foster AI talent for the labor market" at the meeting of ministers related to science and technology held at the Government Complex Seoul on the 18th. Minister Kim Young-hoon said, "It is important to nurture people who use AI well."
First, it will support basic AI literacy and utilization training for young job seekers entering the labor market. It will open related courses in the National Tomorrow Learning Card training program and provide preferential support for training costs. For entry-level young developers, it plans to train 10,000 AI engineers next year through the KDT (K-Digital Training) program. To that end, it plans to provide 400,000 won per month to trainees in the Seoul metropolitan area, 600,000 won outside the metropolitan area, and 800,000 won in population-declining regions.
It will provide customized consulting to support small and midsize businesses in transitioning to AI. The government will directly identify 2,000 small and midsize businesses that want to introduce AI at their business sites and will deploy so-called "AI training doctors" to propose AI solutions and train executives and employees.
It will also offer basic AI training for middle-aged and older adults who wish to change jobs or switch careers. At the state-run Polytech University under the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL), it will introduce AI-specialized training courses for middle-aged and older adults, and next year it plans to expand basic AI competency subjects across all courses that include participation by women with career breaks.
It will also cultivate specialized personnel to train these groups. It plans to open an "AI teacher and instructor academy" program at the Korea University of Technology and Education and train at least 12,650 people to teach AI by next year.
To that end, the ministry has allocated 254 billion won, or 10% of next year's vocational training budget, to AI-related projects. It also plans to announce an "AI-responsive jobs policy roadmap" in the first half of next year.