Seongdong-gu 500 Million KRW Scale ESG Practice Project Contest

Applications Open for 2023 Seongdong-type ESG Practice Project Worth 500 Million KRW Until the 22nd of This Month

Organizations, companies, and resident groups located in Seongdong-gu can apply for up to 50 million KRW per project, aiming to promote the spread of Seongdong-type ESG

View of Seongdong-gu from Maebongsan Mountain

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Seongdong-gu (Mayor Jung Won-oh) announced that it is accepting applications for the 2023 Seongdong-type ESG Practice Project until the 22nd of this month.

This public contest is held to share the vision of ESG (Environment, Social, Governance) and to create an opportunity to spread ESG through support for concrete practice projects. Any project that can practice ESG in daily life for a sustainable city Seongdong is eligible to apply.

The total support scale is 500 million KRW, with up to 50 million KRW per project. Eligible applicants include non-profit private organizations or corporations located in Seongdong-gu, universities or research institutes, social ventures and companies in the environmental field, (social) cooperatives, (preliminary) social enterprises, and resident groups in Seongdong-gu (with five or more members).

Selected organizations through screening will receive subsidies from April to November to execute their projects, followed by performance reporting and settlement in December. More detailed information can be found on the Seongdong-gu Office website.

In March last year, Seongdong-gu declared ‘Sustainable City ESG Seongdong’ and launched the ESG practice project contest for the first time, selecting 21 organizations that carried out various practice projects.

A representative project is the ‘Reusable Cup Sharing Service.’ This project reduced the use of disposable cups by about 500 per day at the Seoul Forest Cafe on the first floor of Seongdong-gu Office. Additionally, in response to the indiscriminate disposal of scissors, needles, and knives used in sewing businesses, special waste collection boxes were produced to ensure the safety of sewing workers and the stability of waste disposal.

Through the operation of the ‘Tomorrow’s Green Store,’ milk cartons were collected and recycled into toilet paper, which was donated to the Seongdong Disabled Welfare Center. The ESG Dream Tree Group was also formed, providing children with opportunities to plan and practice ESG tasks themselves.

Jung Won-oh, Mayor of Seongdong-gu, said, “Many people participated in the ESG contest project held for the first time last year, greatly raising awareness of ESG,” and added, “We ask for much interest and participation this year as well so that newer and more diverse projects can be reflected in the district administration.”

Songpa District Recruiting 60 Trainees for the First Half of 2023 at Songpa Chamsari Training Center to Achieve Employment and Entrepreneurship Dreams

Programs Reflecting Resident Demand from Barista to Coding Maker

Songpa-gu (Mayor Seo Gang-seok) is recruiting trainees for the ‘Songpa Chamsari Training Center,’ a representative local employment and entrepreneurship facility for residents with career interruptions, from February 15 to March 6.

The ‘Songpa Chamsari Training Center’ is a practical job training center supporting employment and entrepreneurship for career-interrupted individuals, youth, and vulnerable groups.

It continuously operates barista, rice baking expert, and florist training courses, along with the recently increasing demand for coding maker training courses. The number of recruits is 24 for the barista course and 12 each for the other courses, totaling 60.

The barista course teaches techniques to bring out the taste and aroma of coffee bean origins and various roasting methods. The rice baking expert course conducts practical training to create original and healthy foods using Korean rice as the main ingredient. The florist course provides practical education for employment and entrepreneurship, including selecting and purchasing materials at flower markets and creating diverse design works.

In particular, the coding maker training course offers broad education for elementary, middle, and high school students in the region to conduct coding and maker lectures. It also trains face-to-face teaching methods for creative convergence education, aiming to connect graduates to work as maker instructors in local schools.

Applicants must be career-interrupted individuals currently seeking jobs or planning to start a business. Extra points are given to those with relevant certifications, youth, and vulnerable groups.

The training runs for up to 78 hours over 13 weeks starting March 27. Each course provides direct instruction of practical skills and high-level field know-how from experts.

In addition to the regular courses, trainees will have various opportunities to improve field response skills and technical abilities through field experience learning, employment and entrepreneurship club activities, and follow-up management programs.

For more details, refer to the announcement titled ‘2023 1st Term Chamsari Training Center Trainee Recruitment’ on the Songpa-gu website’s notice board.

Seo Gang-seok, Mayor of Songpa-gu, said, “We are strengthening the Chamsari Training Center program this year to support residents facing difficulties in employment and entrepreneurship due to COVID-19 and economic crises,” adding, “We will do our best to help many residents gain confidence and achieve their dreams through professional education and practice at the Chamsari Training Center.”

Gwangjin-gu Announces Public Contest for Employment and Entrepreneurship Support Projects for Career-Interrupted Women

Providing Vocational Training and Supporting Employment, Serving as a Stepping Stone

Up to 15 Million KRW Support per Project... Creating Women’s Jobs through Public-Private Cooperation

Gwangjin-gu (Mayor Kim Kyung-ho) is conducting a public contest for employment and entrepreneurship support projects to promote employment of career-interrupted women until the 23rd of this month.

This contest was launched to assist vulnerable employment groups such as career-interrupted women based on public-private cooperation. The district supports project expenses to private institutions, which provide vocational training and employment linkage for unemployed women.

Eligible applicants are non-profit corporations or private organizations located in Gwangjin-gu, proposing projects such as ▲certification acquisition education ▲on-site training ▲job competency education ▲job cooperation network construction ▲entrepreneurship support for unemployed women. Extra points are given for providing specialized education such as professional organizer or multi-family housing practitioner training.

After reviewing project execution capabilities, support organizations will be selected, and agreements will be signed in April. Up to 15 million KRW per project will be supported, and private institutions must bear at least 10% of the total budget. Projects can be implemented from May to November.

Those wishing to participate should visit the Gwangjin-gu Office Family Welfare Division with the application form and project plan. However, organizations already receiving support from national or local governments for the same project content are not eligible. Simple social gatherings, religious activities, or profit-oriented projects unrelated to the purpose are also restricted.

Kim Kyung-ho, Mayor of Gwangjin-gu, said, “We are promoting this contest to support those who want to work again but find it difficult to seize opportunities,” adding, “We will do our best to establish a solid public-private cooperation foundation to provide quality jobs for women.”

Last year, three organizations were selected and operated ▲Picture Book Storyteller Leader Training Course ▲Book Writing Coaching Leader Training Course ▲Professional Organizer & Home Care Manager Training Course. A total of 35 women participated, and nine of them successfully found employment, achieving valuable results.

A woman who participated in last year’s vocational training said, “I desperately wanted to re-enter the workforce, and with the help of the district and support institutions, I obtained a certification and am now able to do the work I wanted. It feels like a dream.”

More details can be found on the Gwangjin-gu Office website’s announcement board.