Support of '1.2 Million KRW Tuition and 400,000 KRW Exam Fees' for Independent Youth in Gyeonggi-do

Gyeonggi Province will support employment education tuition fees for youth preparing for independence and expand the target of visiting specialized independence education to include foster children.

Youth preparing for independence are young people who have lived in child care facilities, group homes, or foster care facilities and must become independent after turning 18 and leaving the facility.

Gyeonggi Province will provide actual expense support necessary for employment preparation to assist the employment of youth preparing for independence this year.

Tuition fees for various employment-related education will be supported up to 400,000 KRW per month and a maximum of 1.2 million KRW annually, and certification exam fees will be supported up to 400,000 KRW annually.

Additionally, participation fees for employment-related experiential programs such as job fairs or company visits will also be supported up to 400,000 KRW. These items can be supported simultaneously, and the support target for this year is 300 people.

Gyeonggi Province will also hold five annual sessions of employment education, consulting, and employment preparation briefings, inviting 100 youth preparing for independence to provide training on career exploration and interview skills.

Furthermore, the target of visiting specialized independence education, which is promoted for children scheduled to leave protection, will be expanded this year to include foster children. The visiting specialized independence education program teaches eight essential areas for independence, such as cooking, home management, using public institutions, and managing emotions, to children aged 15 and older. The number of supported individuals increased from 214 last year to 260 this year.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

In addition, Gyeonggi Province will directly operate the Hope Stepping Stone project, which was previously run by the Gyeonggi Welfare Foundation, starting this year through the ‘Gyeonggi Province Independence Support Dedicated Agency Hope Neoul’.

‘Hope Stepping Stone’ is a housing support space for children leaving protection who must live independently at an earlier age than their peers after leaving facilities at age 18 or older, located in Bongdam-eup, Hwaseong City, and Ilsandong-gu, Goyang City.

Gyeonggi Province explained that it decided to operate this directly to provide prompt and continuous support for housing assistance for youth preparing for independence and independence experiences for children scheduled to leave protection.

Meanwhile, to establish a living foundation for youth preparing for independence, Gyeonggi Province supports ▲settlement funds of 15 million KRW (534 people) ▲monthly independence allowance of 500,000 KRW (1,852 people) ▲monthly case management fee support of 400,000 KRW for integrated independence support services (515 people).