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“From Learning to Employment!” Busan Metropolitan City Holds Launch Ceremony for the 2026 Waterloo-style Co-op Program

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Busan Metropolitan City, led by Mayor Chun Jae-soo, announced that it will hold the launch ceremony for the 2026 Busan Waterloo-style Co-op Program at 10:30 a.m. today, August 27, at Hotel Nongshim in Busan and advance efforts to cultivate practical talent tailored to workplace needs.

The Busan Waterloo-style Co-op Program has been implemented since 2023 to reform university education systems with a stronger focus on practical training, enhance young people’s employment competencies, and help companies secure outstanding talent. The program is operated by the Busan Economic Promotion Agency.

Designed for third- and fourth-year university students, the program is an industry-academia curriculum that alternates between semesters of classroom-based instruction and on-site training. It adapts the University of Waterloo’s practical talent development model in Canada to Busan’s local circumstances through a university-industry co-op framework.

The launch ceremony will consist of two parts. Part 1 will feature presentations of best practices and a talk concert with former participants, while Part 2 will include an orientation session and job competency training.

Approximately 250 students and representatives from participating companies and universities will attend the event to mark the start of this year’s program.

Before beginning their on-site training, participating students will hear about the experiences of previous participants and take part in two days of employment competency training from August 27 to 28, covering workplace etiquette, industrial safety, and other topics to help them adapt more effectively to the workplace.

In 2026, Busan Metropolitan City expanded the number of participating universities from five last year to eight by linking the program with ANCHOR project groups at universities in the Busan area. It also diversified participating companies to include mid-sized enterprises, small and medium-sized enterprises, startups, and companies attracted through investment promotion efforts, selecting a total of 111 outstanding local companies.

ANCHOR is the Ministry of Education’s regional growth talent development system.

Beginning with an open call for operating universities and participating companies in April, Busan Metropolitan City held program information sessions and promoted participation among local companies, broadening the range of companies from which students could choose for their on-site training.

Following student-company interviews held in July, 90 students from eight universities were ultimately matched with 61 companies. The matched students will be placed at participating companies beginning in September to gain practical work experience. If their training leads to employment, incentives will be provided to both the students and companies to further strengthen the program’s connection to employment.

The 61 participating companies include Halla IMS Co., Ltd., DongHwa Entec Co., Ltd., BINEX Co., Ltd., and Wilo Pump Co., Ltd.

The eight participating universities are Kyungsung University, Kosin University, Pukyong National University, Tongmyong University, Dongseo University, Dong-A University, Silla University, and Youngsan University.

Kim Gui-ok, Director General of the Youth and Industry-Academia Bureau of Busan Metropolitan City, said, “The Busan Waterloo-style Co-op Program is a leading model of industry-academia cooperation in which universities and companies work together to support the growth of young people and connect them with local companies.”

“We will further strengthen the link between on-site training and employment so that the program becomes a practical model of industry-academia cooperation that provides young people with more employment opportunities while supplying companies with the talent they need at the right time.”