209 applicants vie for 60 spots in Public Procurement Service's 2026 overseas procurement training course
Young Koreans have shown strong interest in a training program designed to build their expertise for entering global procurement markets, including those of governments, public institutions and international organizations.
The Public Procurement Service announced Sunday that applications flooded in for its "2026 Overseas Procurement Market Specialist Training Course," a program aimed at cultivating young professionals with systematic knowledge of global procurement markets and raising awareness of opportunities in the field.
A record 209 applicants competed for 60 spots in the program, which has been running annually since 2022, underscoring strong youth demand for overseas business-to-government roles.
The course, which emphasizes a practical, hands-on curriculum applicable directly in the workplace, held its opening ceremony Sunday at KT Corp's Daejeon Human Resources Development Institute in Seo-gu, Daejeon.
The global procurement market represents a promising opportunity, with a competitive market size of $2 trillion, yet Korean companies often struggle to break in due to a shortage of workers with the specialized expertise needed to navigate it.
The month-long residential program runs throughout July and offers comprehensive training covering trade and overseas sales practices, vendor registration with foreign institutions, bid proposal writing and contract procedures.
Starting this year, the course also introduces new modules reflecting current industry trends — including AI-assisted content creation and overseas market entry strategy development. Outstanding participants will receive a commendation from the commissioner of the Public Procurement Service, as part of the agency's active support for trainees' career development.
Lee Hyeong-sik, the agency's planning and coordination officer, said specialized talent with expertise in bidding and institutional networks is essential to expanding Korea's presence in global procurement markets. "This year, we have selected trainees of a higher caliber than ever before, and we will do our utmost to develop them into top-tier professionals," he said.
kwonhl@heraldcorp.com
