Opening of 'Career Plus Center,' a Vocational Training Institution for People with Developmental Disabilities in Gangbuk-gu

One-on-One Job Training and Employment Placement for Developmentally Disabled by Job Instructors

Gangbuk-gu, Seoul (Mayor Lee Soon-hee) opened the ‘Gangbuk Career Plus Center’ on the 18th to increase the employment rate of people with developmental disabilities.

The Gangbuk Career Plus Center (15-20 Insu-bong-ro 72-gil) is an institution that provides customized vocational training and job placement services for people with developmental disabilities aged 18 and over who wish to find employment. The district began full-scale operation in October to establish comprehensive and systematic employment services for people with developmental disabilities, aiming to improve their job skills and support them in obtaining and maintaining jobs suited to their abilities and aptitudes.

There are about 17,000 residents with disabilities in Gangbuk-gu, the highest proportion of disabled residents (5.87%) among Seoul’s 25 autonomous districts. Among all disabled residents in the district, 2,187 have developmental disabilities.

Since taking office last year, Mayor Lee Soon-hee has accelerated efforts to establish a center responsible for employment counseling and on-site vocational training for people with developmental disabilities to overcome their difficult realities and employment situations.

Accordingly, the district established plans to build the Career Plus Center in January 2023, revised related ordinances, and signed a consignment agreement in June. After more than three months of pilot operation, the opening ceremony was held this time.

The Gangbuk Career Plus Center has a total floor area of 209.89m² across four floors. The first floor consists of a training room for job instructors and parent education, as well as a vocational training room for job experience. The second floor houses counseling rooms and offices for disability job evaluation and interviews. The third floor is equipped with a program room to build networks among people with developmental disabilities. The fourth floor features a kitchen for vocational training in the food service industry.

The main functions include △ vocational training programs △ development of situational assessment tools through field-centered job exploration programs △ mutual understanding programs △ operation of job adaptation training △ operation of self-help groups △ building and operating networks among people with developmental disabilities. In addition, the center plans to focus on discovering jobs for people with developmental disabilities in the region, training job instructors, and dispatching them to the field.

Furthermore, the center will develop and select businesses where people with developmental disabilities can be employed, and support employment confirmation by having job instructors conduct one-on-one vocational training with people with developmental disabilities on-site for 3 to 6 months before assigning them to jobs.

Mayor Lee Soon-hee of Gangbuk-gu said, “The Gangbuk Career Plus Center is continuously recruiting people with developmental disabilities who find general employment difficult, so we ask for your great interest,” and added, “We sincerely support many trainees with developmental disabilities who have passed through the center to achieve economic independence in various places and stand proudly as members of society.”