"Resolving Designer-Company Mismatch"... 6 Billion Won Invested in Talent Development

Design Promotion Institute, Designer Capability Enhancement Project
Domestic and Overseas Dispatch... Gaining Practical Experience and Supporting Employment

The Korea Institute of Design Promotion will invest approximately 6 billion KRW this year to support the development of talent in the design field.

Three projects aimed at nurturing talent in the design sector will be announced this month, and designers and companies interested in participating in education and practical skills enhancement programs will be recruited.

Although about 20,000 students graduate annually with a design major in Korea, a mismatch between labor supply and demand occurs because companies prefer experienced designers when hiring.

According to the Design Industry Statistics Survey, 41.9% of design companies prioritize "experience" when hiring design personnel, followed by "portfolio" at 31.5%. New designers suffer from a vicious cycle of lacking experience and struggling to find job opportunities.

To address this issue, the institute will promote projects such as ▲World-Class Designer Training Project (1.7 billion KRW) ▲Overseas Internship Support Project (1.3 billion KRW) ▲Youth-Linked K-Design Power-Up (2.97 billion KRW).

The World-Class Designer Training Project selects promising design students and provides practical design education and opportunities to participate in industry-academia projects to cultivate practical talent. Last year, 29 industry-academia projects in various fields were operated in collaboration with 21 global companies including BMW, LG Household & Health Care, and Samsung Card.

The Overseas Internship Support Project strengthens the global capabilities of Korean designers by dispatching them as interns to excellent overseas companies and providing job training. So far, 267 interns have gained global practical experience at 179 companies, and 49.5% of participants in 2021 were employed by outstanding domestic and international companies.

Last year, the Youth-Linked K-Design Power-Up project was newly launched to dispatch young designers as interns to domestic small and medium-sized enterprises or specialized design companies and support their wages. A total of 307 interns gained on-site practical experience at 237 companies, and 31.9% of the dispatched interns were hired as full-time employees.

The institute has expanded the scale of all three projects compared to last year and plans to strengthen education and mentoring to enhance practical skills.

Yoon Sang-heum, President of the Korea Institute of Design Promotion, stated, "We will strive to produce the workforce needed in the field to create design jobs and achieve a balance between supply and demand."

Designers and companies wishing to participate in the projects can check the eligibility requirements and application methods through the "Talent Development and Education" menu on the institute’s website.

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