"Hope for Youth"... Government-Samsung Launch 'Job Creation' Project

Prime Minister Kim Visits SSAFY Seoul Campus
Vice Chairman Lee Also Selected for First Public Engagement

Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum (left) and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong are applauding at the 'Samsung Youth Software Academy (SSAFY)' training site held on the 14th at Multicampus in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Samsung became the second company to participate in the government's youth job project 'Youth Hope ON Project,' following KT. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heung-soon] Lee Dong-gyu fulfilled his dream of employment earlier this year by joining Wonsoftdime, a healthcare solution development company. He is a graduate of the 'Samsung Youth Software Academy (SSAFY)' operated by Samsung. Interested in coding, he majored in software (SW)-related studies at university but felt lacking in skills as a developer, which lowered his confidence. He made up for this through education at SSAFY. Lee said, "Before joining, I repeatedly applied whenever job postings appeared without a clear goal," adding, "Through the education program, I set my goal on the healthcare service field and was able to build my capabilities by studying related businesses and working on projects." In December last year, he received employment counseling for his desired job category at a job fair organized by SSAFY and joined a company developing services that recommend exercise and diet to users based on body composition analysis.

A Customized Education Platform for Nurturing Software Talent

On the morning of the 14th, Prime Minister Kim Boo-kyum visited the SSAFY campus in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, to observe the education site. SSAFY is a representative CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) program that Samsung is dedicated to, aiming to contribute to expanding youth employment. Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong also chose the SSAFY education site as his first external schedule after his parole release on the 13th of last month, excluding court dates.

This move is interpreted as a message supporting the government's plan to provide educational opportunities and jobs to young people facing employment difficulties and pledging to spare no effort to expand employment opportunities for the future generation of youth. At the SSAFY education site, Vice Chairman Lee guided Prime Minister Kim and introduced the details of SSAFY's projects.

Samsung launched SSAFY in 2018. The program targets software, a field with great potential for job creation, to resolve the 'mismatch' situation where young people, who should lead the future, face employment difficulties, and companies preparing for the Fourth Industrial Revolution struggle with recruitment. Starting with 500 trainees in 2019, the goal is to produce a cumulative total of 10,000 graduates by 2025.

Trainees undergo an intensive 1,600-hour education over one year, completing core courses to become application developers for portable devices such as smartphones, as well as embedded tracks used in coding, semiconductors, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Through this specialized program, as of the first half of this year, 1,601 out of 2,087 SSAFY graduates have been employed by about 500 companies in IT, finance, and other sectors.

Samsung Plans to Create 30,000 Youth Jobs Over 3 Years
Joins Government's 'Youth Hope ON' Project

Samsung opened campuses in four regions?Seoul, Daejeon, Gwangju, and Gumi?in the first year of SSAFY's launch and strengthened support by adding the 'Busan-Ulsan-Gyeongnam Campus' in July this year. In line with the 'Youth Hope ON' project, which Prime Minister Kim has enthusiastically promoted since taking office, Samsung plans to select about 2,300 trainees next year, exceeding the initially planned 1,700 annually.

The Youth Hope ON project is a public-private partnership where the government supports education costs necessary for customized talent development, and companies directly train and hire needed personnel to create quality jobs. Samsung also announced a social contribution plan to create 10,000 youth jobs annually, totaling 30,000 over three years, through initiatives such as the in-house and external startup support program C-Lab Outside, smart factories, and regional youth activist support projects.

Prime Minister Kim said, "It is especially meaningful to announce the expansion of youth jobs together with Samsung, a company representing Korea," and expressed sincere gratitude for Samsung's bold investment as a company of the people.

Earlier, Samsung announced last month its 'Post-COVID-19 Future Preparation Plan,' which includes hiring 40,000 people over the next three years until 2023. This increases the usual hiring plan of 30,000 over three years by 10,000. Samsung also plans to continue open recruitment for new employees to provide fair opportunities and hope to young people and to ensure stability and predictability in the domestic hiring market. Samsung introduced the open recruitment system for the first time in Korea in 1957 and is currently the only one among the top five conglomerates to maintain it.