Gumi City Expands High School Talent–Business Internship Program

60% Employment Connection Rate Achieved
Establishing a Virtuous Cycle of Education, Internship, and Employment
Hanwha Systems, Nongshim, Jahwa Electronics Participate

Gumi City will officially launch the "Gumi High School Talent–Local Business Internship Support Project" from May, aiming to enhance local students' employability and foster tailored talent that meets the needs of businesses.

The key aspect of the initiative is the expansion of recruitment-linked internships, with a project budget of 350 million won.

This project targets 80 third-year students from vocational high schools in the city. It builds on last year's pilot "Local–Industry–Academia Hope Plus Program," which had a budget of 80 million won, expanding the scale, number of participants, and scope of support.

The results of the pilot project were also confirmed. Last year, 18 local mid-sized and small businesses, including Hanwha Systems, Nongshim, and Jahwa Electronics, participated. Out of 45 student participants, 27 were formally hired, resulting in an employment connection rate of 60%.

2025 Hanwha Systems Job Training
Photo by Gumi City Hall

The project will be implemented in stages. From May to June, students and companies will be recruited. In July and August, students will receive 40 hours of preliminary training, including basic theoretical instruction and workplace safety education. Starting in September, companies will select final candidates from the pool of training graduates, and internships of up to three months will be conducted, leading to employment opportunities.

During the internship period, students will receive support for workplace training and participate in a mentoring program to help them adapt to the organization and settle into their roles. Businesses will be provided with incentives such as support for improving working environments, reducing the burden of participation and encouraging actual recruitment.

Through this project, Gumi City plans to strengthen the cooperation system among the local government, schools, and businesses, and to establish a talent development structure linked to local industry. By building a virtuous cycle model of "education–internship–employment," rather than a simple experiential program, the city aims to reduce the outflow of local talent and help alleviate workforce shortages for companies.

Jung Sunghyun, Acting Mayor of Gumi, stated, "It is important to create a foundation that enables local talent to grow and settle in Gumi instead of moving elsewhere. I hope that this internship project will provide students with stable employment opportunities and help businesses secure the talent they need."

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