Yongsan-gu, Recruiting Participants for Resident Technology School Including Pet Dog Care

Establishment of a 3-Year Plan to Foster Regional Management Companies... Operation of Resident Technology School as a Preliminary Project... Recruiting Students Until the 28th

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Yongsan-gu (District Mayor Seong Jang-hyun) Social Economy Integrated Support Center is launching the operation of the ‘Resident Skills School,’ including activities such as companion dog care workers and organizing and storage consultants, and will foster local management enterprises over three years.

Local management enterprises refer to companies that provide both jobs and social services to local residents. Their goal is social integration and strengthening community rather than profit. They are a type of social economy enterprise, mainly developed in Europe (France).

The center will first nurture lifestyle management care experts and create a pilot project team through the operation of the Resident Skills School in 2020. Next year, it will support the establishment of local management enterprises by building a more systematic business model. By 2022, local management enterprises with sustainable jobs are expected to be fully operational.

As the start of the project, the center is recruiting students for the companion dog care worker and organizing and storage consultant skills school until the 28th of this month.

A companion dog care worker is, as the name suggests, personnel who support companion dog care. As of the end of 2019, the registration rate of companion dogs among Yongsan-gu residents was 5.8%, the highest in Seoul. This indicates a high demand for this business in the area.

The education target is residents who have experience raising companion dogs within the last three years or are currently raising them and who are interested in ‘animal welfare.’

The number of recruits is 20, and education will continue from September to the end of the year.

Education hours are from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with theory and practical training twice a week. The education location is the center’s training room (B1, Hannam I-Park, 46 Dokseodang-ro, Yongsan-gu), and a certificate of completion will be awarded to those who complete more than 80% of the course.

Organizing and storage consultants are ‘organization experts’ who help people organize their homes. They either organize on behalf of clients or teach methods to enjoy an orderly and relaxed lifestyle. The organizing consulting market is also expanding. The government introduced this occupation in the ‘New Occupation Development Plan’ in 2015.

The education target is those who wish to find employment or start a business related to organizing and storage, with 40 recruits. The first course is scheduled for September to October, and the second course for October to November, with education hours from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Each course consists of 10 theory and practical classes.

The education location is the center’s training room, and those who complete more than 80% of the course can receive the ‘Organizing and Storage Specialist’ certificate issued by the Korea Organizing and Storage Association. The program will be linked with the district’s Care SOS Center project to prioritize services for vulnerable groups.

The district secured the Resident Skills School project budget through a Seoul city public contest. Education is free of charge. Residents who wish to participate can apply by sending an application form via email (yse.or.kr@hanmail.net) or fax. On-site applications at the center are also possible. Related forms are posted in the announcement section of the center’s website. The district will select trainees through its own interview process.

Jo Jeong-ok, head of the project team at Yongsan-gu Social Economy Integrated Support Center, said, “The companion dog care worker training course will be the first case of providing animal welfare services through a social economy approach.”

She also expressed her ambition, saying, “Organizing and storage consultants will not only improve the living environment but also provide a stable service model linked with psychological counseling for psychologically vulnerable clients.”

The center opened in 2017. Eight companies, including Insarang Care, Experience Factory, Redstone System, and Dream Tree Village, are housed there, with Insarang Care entrusted with facility management.

Its main functions include promoting collaboration and networking among social economy enterprises, nurturing new companies, and consulting.

Seong Jang-hyun, mayor of Yongsan-gu, said, “Yongsan’s social economy is evolving to the next level,” and added, “We will foster local management enterprises according to the step-by-step plan and steadily solve the shortage of jobs and social service issues.”