Gyeonggi-do Expands Middle-Aged Happiness Campus from 2 to 7 Locations

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] Gyeonggi Province is expanding the Middle-aged Happiness Campus to 7 locations.

On the 28th, Gyeonggi Province announced that it will expand the operation of the 'Gyeonggi Middle-aged Happiness Campus,' which supports retirement planning, lifelong education, employment, and entrepreneurship for people in their 50s and 60s, from the existing 2 locations to 7 locations.

In addition to the existing locations in Yongin and Pocheon, new campuses will be established in Hwaseong, Uijeongbu, Yangju, Anseong, and Yangpyeong.

Accordingly, the province will recruit 1,092 students for the second half of the Middle-aged Happiness Campus education program starting from the 1st of next month. This is more than three times the 250 students recruited last year.

The second half education courses, held from August to November, include 53 programs such as companion plant care, dementia prevention instructor, literacy instructor, and heirloom organizer.

The Middle-aged Happiness Campus was first launched by Gyeonggi Province in May 2021, becoming the first metropolitan local government in the country to operate such a program.

It is a space that supports resocialization, specialized education for employment and entrepreneurship, communication and rest, and club activities for middle-aged individuals.

In the first year, it operated with about 250 students per semester at Gangnam University (Yongin) in the southern region and Daejin University (Pocheon) in the northern region, achieving a 93% satisfaction rate in a survey conducted among students.

Gangnam University and Daejin University, directly managed by the province, cover 100% of the operating costs with provincial funds, while Hyeopseong University (Hwaseong), Kyungmin University (Uijeongbu), Seojeong University (Yangju), Hankyung University (Anseong), and Asin University (Yangpyeong), selected through city and county public contests, share the operating costs equally between provincial and local government funds.

Jo Tae-hoon, Director of the Senior Welfare Division of the province, said, "This project is operated for the re-leap of people in their 50s and 60s," adding, "Considering the high demand for education among the middle-aged, we are considering further expansion next year."

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