KCCI Will Help Unemployed Youth Get Decent Jobs by Partnering with Major Companies

Chey Tae-won, chairman of the KCCI shakes hands with Lee Seok-yeon, chairman of the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion. (Photo: Presidential Committee for National Cohesion)

The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) and major Korean conglomerates will launch a large-scale talent development project to help young jobless people enter the labor market.

Approximately 30 Korean companies, including Samsung, SK, LG, Hanwha, Lotte, and KT, will participate in the project to provide young people with practical, field-oriented job training and act as a bridge to employment.

The KCCI announced on June 23 that it has been selected as the operational support center for the government’s newly promoted “K-New Deal Academy” Project and will begin implementing youth talent development initiatives in collaboration with major Korean companies.

This project was established to support unemployed young people’s entry into society. Approximately 30 Korean companies, including leading firms in various industries and regions, will provide technical know-how and practical job training programs.

The curriculum is structured around key domestic industrial sectors such as semiconductors, information technology (IT), chemicals and advanced manufacturing.

A total of 39 specialized courses are being offered. More than half of the curriculum consists of practical on-the-job training at companies rather than theory.

The core objective is to help young people grow into human resources which companies need, regardless of their employment periods.

The participating companies will also make good use of their own infrastructure and mentoring systems. In addition to job training, the project will include career planning based on employment competency assessments, on-site experience and mentoring by current employees.

The training programs will be run as customized courses that maximize the expertise of each participating company including Samsung Electronics (Youth Hope Learning Center), SK Hynix (Hy-Po), LG (Let’s Grow with LG Electronics, LG Chem, LG Display), Hanwha Ocean Engineering (Ocean QM DX Academy), Lotte Corporation (Lotte Lift), and KT (ICT AX Academy).

Support measures have also been prepared to alleviate economic burdens on young people. This training programs will be provided free of charge, even though it will cost approximately 9 million won per trainee.

Trainees who will meet required attendance criteria will also receive a monthly training participation allowance.

The target are unemployed youths aged 34 or under. The total number of selected participants is 4,400.

The KCCI will give preferential treatment during the selection process to marginalized groups such as young people who have been unable to find employment for a long time or have stopped looking for jobs.

The plan is to reduce employment capability gaps between regions by providing training opportunities comparable to those offered by large corporations to young people residing in non-Seoul metropolitan areas such as Busan, Daejeon, Daegu, and Gwangju.

Meeting with Chairman of Presidential Committee for National Cohesion

Chey Tae-won, chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, met with Lee Seok-yeon, chairman of the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion, to discuss ways to expand the roles of corporations in restoring Korea’s growth engines and promoting social integration.

According to the KCCI on June 17, Chairman Chey met with Chairman Lee at the KCCI headquarters in Jung-gu, Seoul, to discuss cooperation measures for sustainable society.

Attending the meeting from the KCCI side were Chairman Chey and Lee Hyung-hee, vice chairman of the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry and vice chairman of SK Inc.

From the Presidential Committee for National Cohesion were Chairman Lee Seok-yeon and Vice Chairman Jeon Ji-myung.

The participants exchanged views on topics such as restoring Korea’s growth engines, expanding the social roles of corporations, and directions for reforms in systems.

“To narrow differences and move toward integration, the economy must provide the necessary support above all else to create room for dialogue and compromise,” Chairman Chey said.

“The enhancement of growth engines for Korea will lead to the solidification of the foundation for integration.”

“In order to realize harmony between growth and economic actors, we must continuously fix unreasonable regulations and outdated practices,” Chairman Lee said.

“Based on the opinions of those in the field conveyed by the KCCI, the Presidential Committee on National Integration will actively review institutional improvement measures with relevant ministries.”