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'Elderly and Youth E-commerce Startup School' Course to Open in January Next Year

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Yeju] The Korea International Trade Association (KITA) announced on the 18th that it will open the 'Youth and Young Adult E-commerce Startup School' course.

This course was established to support 'isolated youth,' who have been relatively neglected in policy support, as government and local government employment and startup support projects mainly target 'unemployed university graduates.'

KITA plans to open the startup school targeting not only isolated youth but also reclusive youth, NEETs, kangaroo generation, and long-term unemployed young adults, in cooperation with the Youth Foundation, which has been conducting self-reliance support projects for isolated youth since 2018.

Youth isolation is not just an individual problem but leads to socio-economic losses. In 2020, the number of isolated youth in Korea was estimated to be about 370,000, and this number is expected to increase when the target is expanded to include young adults.

In Japan, it is estimated that there are 600,000 isolated youth, resulting in social costs of approximately 1.5 billion KRW per person, totaling over 900 trillion KRW.

According to domestic specialized institutions, the social cost of youth isolation is 1.5 billion KRW per person, and the total social cost for 370,000 isolated youth is estimated to be about 555 trillion KRW.

Jung Manki, Vice Chairman of KITA, said, "Personally, it is necessary to actively address the issue of youth isolation by providing opportunities to transform self-destruction into self-realization, and nationally, to minimize potential social costs and expand the economically active population through the development of specialized educational programs, expansion of curricula, and employment-linked programs."

The Trade Academy course, starting in January next year, targets about 30 participants and aims to provide six months of theoretical education and practical training, culminating in actual sales performance experience. E-commerce is a field where one-person startups are easy, and isolated youth tend to prefer startups over employment, making social entry relatively easier.

During the first two months, participants will learn e-commerce theories such as trade practice, data analysis, and digital marketing. For the following four months, they will directly enter global e-commerce platforms such as Amazon and Shopee to conduct actual sales activities. Additionally, a dedicated coach will be assigned to provide one-on-one coaching throughout the entire process, and an emotional support system will be established for them.

Park Yeonwoo, Secretary General of the Trade Academy, emphasized, "We have already been operating systematic e-commerce education programs such as the Global E-commerce Master Course with successful results. Through this course, we hope to support the social advancement of marginalized individuals and expand vocational education for socially vulnerable groups in the future."

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