Registration requirements are not strict, leading to a proliferation
Many closures cause increasing harm to students who paid high fees
Private qualifications, which can be operated by private organizations as long as they meet qualification requirements such as business registration certificates, have proliferated recklessly, reaching up to 5,000.
According to the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training on the 21st, as of September 1st, the total number of private qualifications was 51,373. Certifications such as Pilates instructor, florist, and psychological counselor are proliferating by the hundreds in detailed fields.
The Pilates instructor certification, popular among young people, has become highly segmented, increasing to 1,215 types. These include 'Posture Pilates Instructor,' 'Small and Large Equipment Pilates Instructor,' 'Kids Pilates Instructor,' and 'Prenatal and Postnatal Pilates Instructor.'
Some private organizations earn high tuition fees, such as 4 million won for 10 weeks and 5 million won for 12 weeks, under the pretext of issuing Pilates instructor certifications. However, some Pilates instructor qualifications have been abolished, causing many students who paid high lecture fees to obtain certifications to suffer losses.
In the case of florist certifications, despite the existence of the national qualification 'Floral Decoration Technician' issued by the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, there are 137 private qualifications.
Regarding 'psychological counselor certifications,' 1,083 were abolished this year, including family psychological counselor, youth psychological counselor, and art psychological counselor. Nevertheless, there are still 3,375 psychological counselor certifications currently maintained.
Registration of private qualifications is possible as long as the field is not prohibited by the Qualification Framework Act, and only documents proving the ability to operate educational courses, such as business registration certificates or lifelong education facility registration certificates, need to be submitted, leading to the proliferation of various certifications.
In the past five years, the number of private qualification registrations has reached 5,000 to 6,000 annually.
However, the number of abolitions has also been between 1,800 and 2,500 each year over the past five years. Most cases were due to decreased demand or the closure of certification issuing institutions.
In response, the Ministry of Education reportedly reviewed a plan last February to require re-registration of qualifications every five years.
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