S. Korea cooperates with Microsoft to incubate young AI specialists

[Courtesy of Microsoft Korea]

SEOUL -- South Korea's employment ministry is funding the South Korean office of Microsoft and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry to expand an incubation program designed to nurture young artificial intelligence specialists. Microsoft previously operated a pilot program in the southern city of Daegu in 2022 to incubate 47 students.

For the past years, Microsoft has been collaborating with South Korea's administrative bodies, provincial governments, and private companies to roll out a series of incubation programs for women and young people. The programs are set to incubate digital specialists who would contribute to digital transformation projects in South Korea.

"Woman@Security" is one of many incubation projects operated by Microsoft Korea. The program that was kicked off in 2019 to nurture 100 female students annually into security experts has taught some 600 students through a series of courses including online lectures, field training, and a learning course for "Exam SC-900: Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals." The tech giant also provided consulting and job opportunities for students.

The AI School, funded by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, offers six one-month courses which consist of 160-hour classes of theoretical and practical studies, and team projects. MS Cloud services, AI technology tuition fees, a laptop computer, employment consulting, and monthly training incentives. This year's program was launched in April and will end in September. There are currently 112 students participating in this year's incubation project.

"Microsoft hopes to collaborate with governments, international organizations, and non-profit organizations to help those who need education and jobs in the information technology sector to be given equal opportunities," Microsoft Korea's Philanthropies head Sung Jong-eun told Aju Business Daily on June 25. Sung said that Microsoft Korea is operating various technology education courses tailored to South Korea's environments to support students and adults.