Paju City Selected for "2026 Youth Bizcool" Public Project for the First Time

Paju City in Gyeonggi Province announced on April 23 that the Paju Youth Support Center has been selected as the final winner in the "2026 Youth Bizcool" public contest, organized by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups, and will officially launch a startup support program for out-of-school youth.

Paju City Hall exterior view. Provided by Paju City.

The "Youth Bizcool" program aims to foster entrepreneurial spirit among young people and develop their practical startup capabilities. The Paju Youth Support Center was selected for the first time as the implementing organization for this project, recognized for its years of expertise in running programs for out-of-school youth and its strong network within the local community.

This initiative will be operated as a flexible curriculum tailored to the characteristics of out-of-school youth, moving beyond the boundaries of the regular school curriculum. The full project budget, approximately 10 million won, will be funded by the central government. The program is designed as an experience-based course that can be immediately applied in real-world settings, rather than simple theoretical education.

Main activities include: ▲ Special lectures by startup experts and platform-based startup lectures (such as creation of planned products like emoticons) ▲ Gaining on-site experience (participation in expos and visits to small businesses) ▲ Experiencing future industries (startup experiences in the fourth industrial revolution sector, linked with large corporations that incorporate coding and artificial intelligence (AI)) ▲ Startup clubs (operation of coffee clubs and content-based startup clubs) ▲ Sharing outcomes (participation in the "Bizcool Festival") and more.

In particular, this project is designed to provide practical support for out-of-school youth to establish a foundation for economic independence, and aims to help them develop the competitiveness required of future talent through education incorporating fourth industrial revolution technologies.

Kim Jisook, Director of the Youth and Young Adult Division, stated, "Through this 'Youth Bizcool' project, we expect out-of-school youth to overcome their vague fears about entrepreneurship, establish a positive self-identity, and foster practical self-reliance." She added, "We will continue to closely cooperate with local and related organizations to fully utilize human and material resources, providing higher-quality startup programs for youth."

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