Out-of-School Youth Lost Without Direction... "Livelihood More Uncertain Than COVID-19"

Youth aged 15 to 24
Vocational training halted and practical training postponed
Centers even closed, cutting off face-to-face communication

Daily jobs like service and delivery
Part-time jobs also cut off, threatening livelihoods
Supplementary budget excludes youth support

The above photo is not related to the article (Source=Asia Economy)

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunju Lee] Park Mo (18), who does not attend school, has been staying at home only looking at his computer or phone since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19). His original plan was to start a part-time job from March. He considered working as a kitchen assistant at hotels and wedding halls or serving at buffets, but it did not work out. Park said, "Because of the negative perception of out-of-school youth, I am always intimidated, but recently, since I cannot find a part-time job and stay at home, I feel more depressed."

While the government and local communities have poured much attention into the safety of 'in-school students,' the sense of alienation among 'out-of-school youth' like Park is relatively growing. According to the Korea Youth Policy Institute on the 2nd, as of the end of 2017, the number of out-of-school youth nationwide in the school-age group (7-18 years old) reached 400,000. Among them, the number of recruits related to vocational training operated by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family is about 300, and most are presumed to be homeschooling without affiliation or working part-time for their livelihood.

After the COVID-19 outbreak, the most urgent issue for them is not safety but 'livelihood.' Usually, out-of-school youth work many part-time jobs in non-regular daily service jobs, delivery, or courier services rather than regular jobs. According to the 'Study on Customized Measures According to the Transition Path of Out-of-School Youth (2016),' the main industries where out-of-school youth work are 'others' such as leaflet distribution and moving center packing at 30.7%, followed by fast food restaurants (24.3%), cafes, game rooms, karaoke rooms (16.4%), etc. Yoon Cheol-kyung, honorary research fellow at the Korea Youth Policy Institute, said, "Out-of-school youth are in the most vulnerable environment, but it is unfortunate that their employment issues are missing in recent discussions."

For out-of-school youth who find it difficult to expect parental care, even 'food insecurity' is a concern. A representative from a Dream Dream Center said, "There were friends who said on social network services (SNS) that they had not eaten for a while," adding, "Since the center was also closed, face-to-face communication was cut off, making it even harder." Vocational training for out-of-school youth aged 15 to 24 has also been suspended due to infection concerns. Vocational training often cannot be conducted online. There is a need for alternatives on how to resume vocational training, which consists of practical courses such as machining, cooking, coffee barista, and beauty. A counseling teacher who keeps in touch with out-of-school youth targeted for vocational training said, "Most of them complain that they are 'bored' because they do not know how to spend their time," and added, "There is great concern about the delay in employment after training."

However, measures to support them were not included in the supplementary budget. A Ministry of Gender Equality and Family official said, "Currently, there is no support related to the livelihood of out-of-school youth except requesting 'special youth support' through community centers," and added, "Vocational training institutions plan to reopen after the 20th."

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