STEM-based mid- to long-term education model
A five-year curriculum that includes three years of high school and two years of vocational college.
Opened in March 2019, recruiting new students starting in November of this year
On the 17th, the Ministry of Education and IBM Korea signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) at the Yeouido International Finance Center conference hall in Seoul, announcing the launch of a new STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics)-based five-year program, P-TECH, in 2019. This marks Korea's sixth country to adopt the P-TECH model, following the United States, Morocco, Australia, Taiwan, and Singapore.

Named 'Seoul New Collar School,' Korea's first P-Tech is a five-year integrated curriculum that combines three years of high school and two years of vocational college, and upon graduation, students are awarded a high school diploma and a two-year associate's degree.

P-TECH provides students with early exposure to information and communications technology and STEM-based careers through mentoring, company visits and field trips, and paid internship programs. Students who wish to find employment at an industrial partner company after graduation will proceed to the next stage without going through the first document screening.

Seoul New Collar School will open in March next year and will begin recruiting new students from current third-year middle school students starting in November of this year. Students will be selected through interviews.

Seoul New Collar School will open with the "Artificial Intelligence Software Department." Semyung Computer High School and Gyeonggi University of Science and Technology will be the first educational partners, while IBM Korea will be the industry partner. The 2019 enrollment will be 52 students. Additionally, a group of teachers will be joining P-Tech as another industry partner, preparing to establish P-Tech with other educational partners, with the goal of opening in 2020. The Ministry of Education plans to continue expanding this model and is working with IBM to secure additional educational and industry partners for participation beyond 2019.

Students at Seoul New Collar School spend three years studying in dedicated classrooms and laboratories within Samyeong Computer High School, then attend Gyeonggi Science and Technology University for the remaining two years. They study integrated high school and technical college curriculum, and their curriculum is designed to equip them with the academic and technical skills necessary for immediate employment, including collaboration, communication, and problem-solving. Some of the curricula include content jointly developed by IBM, the Ministry of Education, Semyung Computer High School, and Gyeonggi University of Science and Technology.

P-TECH helps students acquire cutting-edge technologies while bridging the skills gap between job seekers and industry through strong public-private partnerships spanning high schools, universities, businesses, government, and public institutions.

Vice Minister of Education Park Chun-ran said, “P-Tech is a high school and vocational school-linked education model that aims to foster talent who can immediately demonstrate their capabilities in the workplace through collaboration between the education, industry, and government sectors.” She added, “The Ministry of Education plans to support students through innovative education systems and policies so that they can grow into talents equipped with the capabilities our society needs in the midst of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.”

Jang Hwa-jin, CEO of IBM Korea, said, "With the full-fledged onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, demand for jobs related to cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, data science, and cybersecurity continues to grow across all industries." He added, "The opening of P-TECH in Korea provides a foundation for students to focus on developing the skills needed by companies. We hope that many leading domestic companies will join us in fostering talent and securing national competitiveness through innovation in public education."