Department of Employment and Labor, launching the pilot project for training "AI workers" to work alongside AI

The Ministry of Employment and Labor in South Korea will launch a pilot project for “AI Worker” vocational training starting in 2026, aimed at enhancing workers’ AI application skills. It is expected that a digital re-education system centered on on-site training will be officially expanded.

On the 16th, the Ministry announced that it will promote a new training program enabling workers to directly apply AI tools in their work to improve productivity. The focus of this project is not solely on responding to the trend of AI replacing existing jobs, but on helping workers collaborate with AI based on their professional skills. In short, this is not re-education to prevent being eliminated by technological change, but a practical training to leverage technology to enhance business competitiveness.

The pilot project targets professions including video content creation, UI/UX design, and publishing. UI/UX refers to user interface and user experience, which involve designing the layout and usability of digital service interfaces. The government prioritized these professions because AI tools have rapidly entered actual workflows such as planning, editing, proposal creation, and document writing, allowing for relatively quick validation of educational effectiveness. To date, 84 training institutions and 113 courses have been selected across 14 regions nationwide by the Human Resources Development Committees.

Participation thresholds are relatively low. Anyone holding a National Tomorrow Learning Card can participate in the training, with the government covering over 90% of the tuition fees. Long-term course students can also receive training allowances based on attendance, with 300k won per month in the Seoul metropolitan area and 400k won per month outside the capital region. This initiative aims to reduce the financial burden of training and provide some living expenses subsidies to encourage employed individuals and job seekers to participate. Recently, as digital transformation accelerates, companies urgently need AI application talents who can immediately engage in practical work, but individuals often hesitate to undergo re-education due to costs and time commitments.

The government views this project as an experimental process to test the direction of vocational training in the AI transformation era, rather than merely short-term educational support. Park Sang-won, head of the Human Resources Development Division at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, explained that the significance of this pilot project lies in providing a concrete direction for vocational education courses in the AI era. In the future, the scope of applicable professions is likely to expand based on the results of the pilot. Especially in fields where AI tools are rapidly spreading in design, content, and administrative support, the trend of shifting vocational training policies from “basic digital education” to “business application re-education” is expected to become increasingly prominent.