-  Early Training of Bio Talent… Establishing a Practical Training Cooperation System Beyond University Education

 ▲ Signing ceremony of the MOU between PCMO and Neungju High School

PCMO (Director Min Cho, hereinafter referred to as the "Center") announced on the 14th that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Neungju High School (Principal Taemo Seong) in Hwasun to cultivate bio professionals in the Jeollanam-do region.

The key objective of this agreement is to share the latest trends in education and career exploration while establishing a cooperative network for specialized workforce training. Through this, students will be provided with effective career exploration opportunities and a sustainable talent development cooperation system.

Neungju High School, in collaboration with the Center, will offer students diverse information on careers and college admissions in the bio and pharmaceutical sectors while contributing to the establishment of hands-on training and experiential learning opportunities. This initiative aims to allow students to gain practical industry experience that is often difficult to access even at the university level. It also aligns with the recent emphasis on training specialized technical and creative convergence talents in specialized high schools and meister high schools.

Neungju High School has particularly established itself as a "prestigious regional" private high school, maintaining the highest ranking in Seoul National University acceptance rates in Jeollanam-do every year. With this agreement, the school is expected to go beyond simply producing outstanding academic results and become the only high school in the country that nurtures on-site industry-ready talents, particularly in the rapidly growing bio sector.

 ▲ From the left: PCMO Main Plant, mRNA Manufacturing Facility, and Educational Facility

Meanwhile, the Center is set to open an educational facility in June 2025 under the Vaccine Industry Professional Training Project supported by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy and Hwasun County, Jeollanam-do. The goal is to train more than 900 graduates by 2026, and in response to high demand, the Center plans to expand its training operations upon the facility’s completion.

The educational facility, slated for completion in June 2025, will be the largest GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) training center in the Gwangju-Jeollanam-do region. It will be equipped with cutting-edge facilities that enable hands-on experience in microbial cultivation and purification, including a 50L bioreactor, autoclave, and continuous centrifuge. Additionally, students will have access to analytical instruments such as HPLC and LC-MS for physicochemical analysis, microbial testing, environmental monitoring, and quality control training, further broadening the scope of collaboration with educational institutions.

Leveraging this infrastructure, the Center aims to establish itself as a key educational hub for bio-pharmaceutical industry workforce training in the Gwangju-Jeollanam-do region. This initiative is expected to significantly contribute to strengthening GMP capabilities in the region and advancing the high-tech bio industry, in conjunction with the designation of the Hwasun Bio Cluster.