Ministry of Industry: "Fostering Specialized High Schools as 'Export Warriors'... Supporting Employment"

Recruitment of Schools Interested in Participating in the 2020 Employment-Linked FTA Practical Workforce Training Project

[Asia Economy Reporter Moon Chaeseok] The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced on the 25th that it will promote the 2020 "Employment-Linked Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Practical Workforce Training Project" targeting students of specialized high schools and Meister high schools in cooperation with the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA).

The project provides FTA utilization education such as origin certification and export practical work to specialized high school students, matching them with export small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to simultaneously promote youth employment and alleviate manpower shortages in SMEs.

Last year, education was provided to 102 students from five specialized high schools. Among the 97 students excluding five who went on to university, 81 (83.5%) were employed by export SMEs and others. According to the Korea Educational Development Institute, the average employment rate of specialized high school students nationwide was 54.6% as of October 28 last year.

This year, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy announced that the number of participating schools will increase from five to seven, and the education program will be reorganized according to corporate demand. The scope of matching companies will also be expanded to include mid-sized companies.

After announcing the project from the 26th to the 13th of next month, schools and trainees will be selected by April. From May to October, participating companies will be recruited and FTA practical training will be conducted. From June to December, company-student interviews and hiring negotiations will take place. After on-site training, formal hiring will follow.

Participating schools will be selected based on manpower demand from companies in each region, with seven schools chosen. The number of trainees will be 15 per school, totaling 105. Participating companies will be gathered by KOTRA targeting export SMEs and mid-sized companies with new manpower needs.

The practical training consists of 65 hours of theoretical education including FTA origin certification and domestic and overseas training. Employment will be conducted through interviews and negotiations after the completion of the training course to establish employment agreements.

Kim Hyeongju, Director of Domestic Trade Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, said, "The project was first introduced last year, and among 97 trainees excluding university entrants, 81 were employed by 73 companies," adding, "This year, we will increase the number of supported schools and expand the number of students and schools supported after next year based on the project's results."

Details of the project announcement can be found on the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA websites. Companies interested in the project can inquire through the KOTRA Academy.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.