The government will foster specialists to solve local urban regeneration issues.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport said on the 17th it will invite applications from the 18th for universities to carry out the "second-phase urban regeneration specialist training program" to cultivate experts who can plan, operate, and solve problems on the ground in urban regeneration projects. After briefings and other sessions, applications will be accepted from the 27th to the 31st of next month.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) plans to select two universities to run master's and doctoral programs that integrate university major curricula with hands-on urban regeneration work through this call. Regions where the universities carrying out the first phase (2020–2025) of the urban regeneration specialist training program—Inha University, Korea University, Chungbuk National University, Kyungpook National University, Kyungsung University, and Gwangju University—are located are excluded from this call. Accordingly, it plans to select universities located in Gangwon Special Self-Governing Province, Jeonbuk State, Chungcheongnam-do and Daejeon Metropolitan City, and Jeju Special Self-Governing Province to carry out the program.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) will support selected universities with scholarships, research program and textbook development, industry-academia cooperation expense, and facility and equipment expense, while requiring a 25% asset match from the universities. The goal is to ensure accountability in running the programs.
This second-phase program is designed so that the curriculum is substantively linked to the field. The curriculum will operate in a phased structure focused on basics, advanced, and specialized/field-centered tracks. Field projects and internships linked with local urban regeneration-related institutions such as local governments, urban regeneration support centers, and public agencies are mandatorily included as practice-oriented training.
In addition, an annual evaluation and differential support system will be fully introduced, under which each university's educational outcomes and operational performance will be reviewed every year and the results reflected in support for the following year.
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (MOLIT) expects this to systematically cultivate practice-oriented experts with problem-solving capabilities in the field and to stably support the demand for specialists required at urban regeneration project sites nationwide. Park Hee-min, head of MOLIT's Urban Regeneration Division, said, "Through the second-phase specialist training program, we will continue to develop key talent who understand localities and the field."