Public Institutions Join Hands for 'Job Creation'... National Idea Contest and MOU Signing

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] Amid the ongoing employment crisis caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), public institutions have rolled up their sleeves to create jobs.

Five public institutions in the Daejeon and Chungcheong regions, including Korea Water Resources Corporation, are recruiting participants online until the 30th for the 'Job Idea-thon,' where citizens directly plan job projects. The event is co-hosted by Korea Water Resources Corporation, Korea National Railway Corporation, Korea Gas Technology Corporation, Korea Western Power, and Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation.

The Idea-thon is a compound word of 'idea' and 'marathon.' It refers to a competition where participants form teams to plan and present creative ideas or business models within a set time.

Any Korean citizen aged 19 or older can participate. Individuals or teams of 2 to 5 people can apply by filling out the application form on the contest site 'ThinkYou' homepage and submitting it.

The contest themes are divided into 'common fields,' which are job projects that public institutions can promote to realize social value, and 'institution-specific fields,' which propose job items related to each institution's work area.

Korea Water Resources Corporation's theme is 'Jobs to expand clean and safe water supply services.' Participants can submit job ideas for creating new value in water, such as high-quality tap water services, water energy, waterfront cities, and water industry development.

Korea Western Power is seeking ideas under the theme 'Innovative jobs in power generation for safe and clean energy production.' They welcome ideas for eco-friendly green jobs such as greenhouse gas reduction, waste resource recycling, renewable energy, or jobs in energy and safety fields utilizing 4th industrial revolution technologies.

Additionally, Korea National Railway Corporation is collecting ideas on 'Region-customized jobs utilizing safe and comfortable railway infrastructure,' Korea Gas Technology Corporation on 'Jobs to strengthen the safety net of energy supply facilities,' and Korea Minting and Security Printing Corporation on 'Jobs for a trusted society such as anti-counterfeiting, security, and authentication solutions.'

Submitted proposals will be comprehensively evaluated based on effectiveness, feasibility, innovation, collaboration (common fields), and relevance (institution-specific fields). Subsequently, finalists for the Job Idea-thon main competition scheduled for the 18th of next month will be selected.

Outstanding works selected in the competition will undergo review by related institutions and will be piloted to link to actual job creation.

The five public institutions co-hosting the Job Idea-thon stated, "We will take the lead in realizing social value through the creation of quality jobs through this competition and will actively establish a cooperative system among institutions to contribute to revitalizing the regional economy in the future."

Meanwhile, Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled, Korea Railroad Corporation, and Korea National Railway Corporation signed a business agreement on the 8th to create jobs for people with disabilities by utilizing idle spaces at major railway stations nationwide.

The three institutions joined forces to expand the operation of the 'SeomSeomOkSu' project, a job creation platform for women with severe disabilities.

SeomSeomOkSu is a project where companies struggling to employ people with disabilities hire women with severe disabilities to provide free nail care services to railway passengers. It was previously opened as a local government-led initiative with stores at Busan Station and Iksan Station.

The newly promoted company-led SeomSeomOkSu project will start at a total of eight railway stations, including Daejeon, Yongsan, Yeongdeungpo, Osong, and Gangneung, and plans to expand to major stations nationwide.

To expand the project, Korea Railroad Corporation provides idle spaces within stations, Korea National Railway Corporation approves the use of locations, and Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled supports a customized talent pool and employment consulting, sharing roles accordingly.

Companies and institutions that have not fulfilled their obligations to employ people with disabilities can apply to participate in the SeomSeomOkSu project. The application period is until the 6th of next month, and applications can be submitted by downloading the form from the Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled website.