"Fast Promotion and Employment at Large Corporations"…KCCI Awards Excellence in Utilizing National Certifications

3 Grand Prize Winners, 3 Excellence Award Winners, Total 12 Awardees

Exterior view of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Jung-gu, Seoul. Photo by Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry

[Asia Economy Reporter Choi Seoyoon] The 'National Certification Utilization Best Practice Contest Award Ceremony,' hosted by the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), was held on the 9th at the Sangui Hall in Jung-gu, Seoul.

The 'National Certification Utilization Best Practice Contest' was organized by KCCI to discover cases where national certifications helped with employment and promotion, and to inform job seekers and those preparing for promotions about ways to utilize national certifications. The Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry oversees national technical qualification exams such as Computer Utilization, Word Processor, and Secretary, as well as national professional qualifications and accredited certification exams including Distribution Manager, Trade English, and KCCI Hanja.

This year, a total of 273 essays were submitted to the contest, with 3 Grand Prize winners, 3 Excellence Award winners, and 6 Encouragement Award winners selected.

At the award ceremony, Hwang Ji-won (title: "Pray for Strong Shoulders"), Lee Nam-seon (title: "10 Years in Manufacturing! Understanding the Language of Distribution and Grasping Promotion!"), and Lee Ji-young (title: "The Reason the Frog in the Well Could Come Out: Trade English") received the Grand Prize, each receiving a certificate and a prize of 1 million KRW.

The Minister of Employment and Labor Award (Grand Prize) was awarded to Hwang Ji-won, who overcame a physical disability to obtain a Level 1 Computer Utilization certification and shared her experience of securing a job at a public enterprise. Hwang said, "Driven by the urgency not to fall behind, I prepared for the essential Computer Utilization certification for job seekers, correctly answering all Excel questions on the public enterprise NCS (National Competency Standards) written exam and successfully passing the public enterprise recruitment. Through relentless effort to accurately press keys with my disabled hand, I was able to obtain the Level 1 Computer Utilization certification, which significantly improved my work efficiency at the company."

The Minister of Trade, Industry and Energy Award (Grand Prize) recipient Lee Nam-seon said, "Five years after joining as a research staff, I was assigned to product planning but was overwhelmed by not even knowing basic distribution terms like FIFO and MOQ (Minimum Order Quantity)." She added, "On a classmate's recommendation, I prepared for the Distribution Manager exam, studying late into the night for three hours each evening over three months, and passed the exam." Lee said, "Preparing for the exam greatly enhanced my overall understanding of distribution terminology and systems, making product planning much easier and leading to a rapid promotion."

The final Grand Prize winner, the KCCI Chairman's Award recipient Lee Ji-young, said, "While working as a flight attendant for a foreign airline, I was encouraged to take unpaid leave due to COVID-19, and I was very fearful of losing my job." She continued, "To find a new job, I prepared for and obtained the 'Trade English' certification based on my flight attendant experience, which enabled me to re-enter a large corporation in my 30s."

The Excellence Award winners were Seok Jin-wook (title: "From Certification Acquisition to MBA Admission and Transfer to Singapore's Top Company"), Kim Ye-jin (title: "How Computer Utilization Helped a Career-Interrupted Woman Escape"), and Jeon Hee-jin (title: "A One-Year Journey"), each receiving a certificate and a prize of 500,000 KRW. Six Encouragement Award winners received certificates and prizes of 300,000 KRW each.

Woo Tae-hee, Executive Vice President of KCCI, said, "Looking at the excellent cases from this contest, many showed that the skills and knowledge acquired during certification preparation helped with employment and promotion." He added, "We plan to further enhance the job relevance of qualification exams by reflecting the needs of companies and examinees and to introduce new qualification exams required in the field."

The booklet containing the 12 award-winning works from this contest will be distributed to related organizations nationwide. It will also be available on the KCCI Qualification Evaluation Project Team website. Interview videos of the Grand Prize and Excellence Award winners will be released on the 'Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry Insight' YouTube channel.