Seoul City Cultivates Field-Oriented Talent Desired for Recruitment

Youth Employment Academy Introduces Company-Requested Customized Training Programs

[Asia Economy Reporter Kiho Sung] On the 15th, the Seoul Metropolitan Government announced that it will introduce a 'company-customized curriculum' that cultivates 'field-oriented talents desired by companies' at the Youth Employment Academy, so that job seekers no longer need to feel discouraged by saying 'Munsonghamnida (Sorry for being a liberal arts student)'.

Seoul announced the '2023 Youth Employment Academy Operation Plan,' which connects recruitment through a company-tailored curriculum regardless of liberal arts or science majors. The 'Youth Employment Academy' is a youth employment policy designed to provide quality job training to young people and excellent talent to companies in preparation for the digital economy transition and the increasing demand for specialized personnel in the 4th industrial sector. Since its launch, 3 out of 4 graduates (75%) have successfully found employment through high-quality education based on actual field demand and close employment support.

First, ▲ a 'customized curriculum' to cultivate talents desired by companies will be introduced, linking internships and recruitment. ▲ Education will be conducted by incorporating key fields of industrial hubs in Seoul, such as design and digital healthcare. ▲ Humanities education will be strengthened to foster convergent talents. ▲ Employment encouragement funds will be provided to motivate job seekers, and ▲ networking will be enhanced by holding festivals that bring together graduates, trainees, recruiting companies, and educational institutions.

First, a 'company-customized curriculum' created and taught in collaboration with companies will be introduced. After education, a 'job experience camp' will be held where trainees perform practical projects with company mentors on-site, establishing a model of 'education-internship-regular employment conversion.'

Second, the Youth Employment Academy's curriculum will be operated as specialized courses tailored to industrial hubs such as fashion and design (Dongdaemun) and digital healthcare (Seongbuk). This will cultivate talents suited to each hub's industry, giving trainees opportunities to find employment in competitive industrial sectors.

Dongdaemun, strong in fashion, will operate courses that integrate new technologies such as metaverse and 3D modeling into the fashion and design industry to train virtual fitting designers, while Seongbuk, strong in bio, will run courses that incorporate new technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence (AI) into the medical and bio industries to train digital healthcare experts, operating specialized courses by autonomous districts.

Third, to increase trainees' willingness to learn and motivate them in the employment process, humanities lectures not covered in the regular curriculum will also be provided. Through deep humanities thinking, problem-solving skills will be developed, providing an opportunity for trainees to grow into convergent talents where scientific and humanities thinking work together.

Fourth, programs to motivate trainees will be introduced and operated at each campus, such as providing an employment encouragement fund of 1 million won when trainees complete projects for companies with hiring plans during the education period and get employed by those companies.

Fifth, networking centered on the Youth Employment Academy among graduates, trainees, and companies will be strengthened. On the third anniversary of the Youth Employment Academy, a (tentatively named) Saessak Festival will be held, bringing together graduates, trainees, recruiting companies, and educational institutions.

In addition, in May, a 'Developer Competition' (Hackathon) to compete programming skills, 'Connection Day' (Matching Day) linking recruiting companies with trainees and graduates for jobs, and 'Youth Employment Academy Visiting Day' (Homecoming Day) to strengthen bonds between seniors and juniors by sharing employment success know-how will be operated.

The Youth Employment Academy campuses for education will also be expanded throughout Seoul. This year alone, a total of eight campuses will open, and including the seven currently operating campuses, 15 Youth Employment Academy locations will be able to produce 2,300 field-oriented talents annually.

Kim Taekyun, Director of Seoul's Economic Policy Office, said, "Starting this year, we will introduce a company-customized curriculum at the Youth Employment Academy to cultivate talents desired by companies." He added, "Through employment and entrepreneurship tailored education that can be immediately deployed in the corporate field, we will ultimately nurture young talents who maintain competitiveness even in rapidly changing industrial sites."

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