Applications open Monday through Dec. 11 for elementary and middle schools nationwide

Program provides hands-on teaching kits including mobility upcycling sets

Elementary school students participating in the Future Mobility School program make their own future mobility vehicles out of clay and share their finished works with classmates. [Hyundai Motor]
Elementary school students participating in the Future Mobility School program make their own future mobility vehicles out of clay and share their finished works with classmates. [Hyundai Motor]

Hyundai Motor announced Friday that it is accepting applications from schools wishing to join its Future Mobility School program for the first semester of 2027.

Future Mobility School is a student-led activity program that Hyundai Motor developed after becoming the first private company to sign an MOU with the Ministry of Education. The program is designed to help students grow into future leaders in the mobility industry by learning about the sector's development and exploring innovative technologies such as autonomous driving and robotics.

Since its launch in 2016, the program has reached 3,280 schools worldwide — including domestic elementary and middle schools as well as overseas institutions — and has engaged approximately 134,000 students in exploring the future of mobility.

Schools wishing to participate in the first semester of 2027 can apply Monday through Dec. 11 by searching for the Future Mobility School community page on Naver and submitting an application through the link posted there.

Unlike conventional lecture-based instruction, Future Mobility School provides a range of hands-on teaching materials — including autonomous driving mobility kits, mobility upcycling kits and future lifestyle planning worksheets — so that each class offers a distinct, activity-driven experience.

Classes are divided into an elementary program for fourth- through sixth-graders and regular and short-term programs for middle school students. Each curriculum covers a variety of themes that give students a preview of how the mobility environment may change in the future.

For the first semester of 2027, the elementary program will focus on "a sustainable future lifestyle shaped by future mobility," while the middle school regular program will explore "a future lifestyle with mobility" and the middle school short-term program will cover "future mobility enhanced by robotics."

Ji Seong-won, executive vice president and head of Hyundai Motor's brand marketing division, said the program aims to offer classes that let students imagine how the mobility environment will evolve through themes such as autonomous driving and robotics. "We will continue to build a creative and cultural foundation that helps young people take an interest in future technologies and explore their career paths," Ji said.

Building on the trust and experience gained from running the program domestically, Hyundai Motor expanded its reach to schools across Asia in 2023 through a partnership with the UNESCO Asia-Pacific Centre of Education for International Understanding. This year, the company further broadened its international footprint by launching a collaboration with the Korean Education Center in France and a joint international class program linked to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education, bringing the total to 48 overseas schools across 21 countries.

A Hyundai Motor official said the company will continue to expand opportunities for young people around the world to connect with one another through future mobility technology, by forging diverse partnerships with global educational institutions.

Meanwhile, Hyundai Motor Group recently launched a new corporate social responsibility initiative called the HMG Future Mobility Tech Campus. The group plans to support 50 automotive vocational high schools and approximately 6,000 students nationwide over three years, from this year through 2028.

The initiative aims to upgrade outdated training facilities centered on internal combustion engines and help students learn the latest maintenance technologies used in actual industry settings.


likehyo85@heraldcorp.com