Gyeongnam Province, Companies, and Schools Sign Employment Track for 62 Youth

2022 Gyeongnam-type Track Opening Agreement

The 2022 Gyeongnam-type Track Opening Agreement Ceremony was held.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] On the 23rd, Gyeongsangnam-do signed an agreement to establish the 2022 Gyeongnam-type Track with 18 small and medium-sized enterprises, 7 universities, and 5 specialized high schools within the province.

The signing ceremony, held face-to-face for the first time in three years due to the impact of COVID-19, was attended by about 30 people including Park Wan-su, Governor of Gyeongsangnam-do, company representatives, and school principals.

The province stated that in this agreement, the companies’ preferred school types, job fields, and number of hires were prioritized without distinction between the corporate track ‘support for hiring university graduates’ and the high track ‘support for hiring high school graduates.’

It also explained that it focused on confirming the willingness to sign agreements with the respective schools again to specify the number of possible hires and increase the likelihood that talented individuals are hired at the right place and time.

According to the agreement, 18 small and medium-sized enterprises will hire 62 graduates and prospective graduates from schools located within the province, and the schools plan to strengthen customized educational support so that companies can hire the talent they desire.

According to the province, 18 companies of various sizes in the province’s key job sectors such as ▲ aerospace ▲ shipbuilding and automobile manufacturing ▲ bio and eco-friendly industries ▲ semiconductor and Internet of Things (IoT) IT fields are participating in this agreement.

A provincial official anticipated, “Through the process of participating in the track, sharing companies’ experiences and know-how, and the participating schools’ educational directions and courses will greatly contribute to establishing the direction of job policies that the province should pursue.”

Gyeongsangnam-do plans to support incentives such as hiring subsidies, environment improvement funds, and youth housing support funds to encourage more companies to participate and to maintain continuous employment of hired youth.

In July, the province revised guidelines to increase the scale of environment improvement fund support from 10 million won to 15 million won and relaxed the payment criteria from hiring 3 regular employees to 2.

A provincial official explained, “We have laid the foundation so that many benefits can go to companies hiring youth as regular employees, and companies and schools wishing to participate in the track can sign agreements at any time.”

Governor Park said, “This is a meaningful occasion where everyone joins hands and works together to secure excellent technical personnel for companies and to nurture and produce human resources for schools,” adding, “I hope this will be an opportunity for companies and schools to sign agreements and provide support anytime, leading to a virtuous cycle where young people find the jobs they want and companies find the personnel they need.”

The Gyeongnam-type Track project has been implemented since 2013 to promise in advance the hiring of talent desired by companies through prior agreements among the province, companies, and schools, and to provide administrative support to hiring companies.

So far, 405 companies have participated in agreements, and 1,939 young talents have been hired by 210 companies within the province.

The province plans to sign agreements by the end of this year or early next year only with companies that additionally submit their willingness to sign agreements by the end of this year.

Measures to revitalize the project, such as revising the track project guidelines, will also be prepared to increase company participation rates and maintain long-term employment of hired youth.