The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry said on the 17th that it will provide hands-on training and workplace experience to a total of 49,000 unemployed young adults this year.
The chamber said it has drawn participation from about 4,500 companies as of this month in its role as the integrated support center for the Ministry of Employment and Labor's Youth Work Experience Program, which covers 44,000 participants. The chamber said satisfaction levels are high because the program goes beyond internships in which participants merely assist with routine tasks, instead offering practical assignments that make full use of young participants' ideas and capabilities.
The chamber also serves as the operations support center for the K-New Deal Academy, which covers 4,500 participants, working with 29 companies including Samsung, SK (034730), LG (003550), Hanwha, Lotte and KT to pass on practical know-how needed at industrial sites. Funded by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the program eliminates tuition costs for participants and also pays training allowances.
The chamber has prepared a youth employment forum together with the Ministry of Employment and Labor as part of the Korea Social Value Festa, to be held on the 21st and 22nd at COEX in Seoul's Samseong-dong, Gangnam District. Participants are expected to discuss the skills needed in the age of artificial intelligence and public-private cooperation to create sustainable jobs for young adults.
"We will further strengthen our role as a ladder connecting the government, companies and young people, so that we can nurture the talent companies need and help young people move up to better jobs," said Lee Sang-bok, head of the chamber's human resources development division.
