KOTRA Strengthens Efforts to Develop 'Export Talent' Targeting Specialized and Meister High Schools

Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy Conducts 'Employment-Linked FTA Practical Workforce Training Project'
150 Graduates Selected from 10 Schools Nationwide

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] KOTRA, in collaboration with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, is strengthening its efforts in the 'Employment-Linked Free Trade Agreement (FTA) Practical Workforce Training Project' targeting students of specialized and Meister high schools.

On the 21st, KOTRA announced that it will select 10 specialized and Meister high schools nationwide and recruit 150 outstanding graduating students (3rd year) interested in trade. This represents an increase of 3 schools and 28 students compared to last year. Starting with the project announcement on the 22nd of this month, the process will proceed in the following order: ▲school selection and trainee recruitment in April-May ▲recruitment of participating companies and interviews with companies and students from June to December ▲field training and official hiring from September to December.

Now in its third year, this project has contributed to nurturing specialized high school graduates equipped with export practical skills and FTA utilization capabilities. Last year, 80 trainees who completed the education, excluding those who went on to university, found employment in export companies and other sectors.

This year’s curriculum consists of ▲trade practice ▲FTA utilization ▲origin management ▲export marketing ▲trade English. Additionally, reflecting feedback from past participants, the program includes ▲special lectures by export marketing experts ▲education on contemporary trends such as finance and the 4th Industrial Revolution. From this year, online project briefings and an online recruitment center will also be operated.

Kim Hyung-joo, Director of Domestic Trade Policy at the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, explained, "As a result of implementing the policy, we were able to contribute to increasing the employment rate of specialized high school students, who are relatively disadvantaged in the job market, through the education program and employment linkage."

Park Han-jin, Director of KOTRA Academy, said, "This year as well, job seekers are facing difficulties due to the impact of COVID-19. KOTRA will continue to nurture talents required by export companies by leveraging the unique strengths of specialized and Meister high school students."