8-Week Program Conducted for 30 Youth Participants Following Career Consulting
[At the orientation for the 'Work Competency Enhancement Training' for young adults with borderline intelligence, Park Joo-hee, Secretary General of the Youth Foundation, is introducing the program.]
The Youth Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the Foundation) will begin an “Employment Competency Enhancement Training” program for 30 young individuals as part of its pilot project supporting young people with borderline intellectual functioning who are in employment blind spots.
Borderline intellectual functioning, which accounts for about 13% of the domestic population, refers to those with an IQ between 71 and 84. Although they are not classified as intellectually disabled (IQ 70 or below), they face difficulties in social and economic activities due to complex clinical characteristics.
This pilot project, conducted by the Foundation in collaboration with the Seoul Lifelong Education Support Center for People with Borderline Intellectual Functioning and the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities Employment Development Institute, consists of three components: ▲career consulting ▲employment competency enhancement training ▲work experience.
The first component, career consulting, was attended by 53 young people over ten days starting from the 2nd. Based on individual consultations assessing each participant’s employment desires, specific career plans, and expected positive effects from the training, 30 individuals were selected.
The “Employment Competency Enhancement Training” will be conducted over eight weeks, during which participants will complete two main courses: “basic education” and “major (individual) job training.”
In the basic education course, foundational training will be provided on ▲self-management ▲interpersonal relationships ▲communication ▲integrated learning ▲safety education ▲work ethics ▲time management ▲and occupational life.
The major (individual) job training will include common job training on ▲the digital world ▲digital utilization ▲artificial intelligence, followed by practical training tailored to the tasks required by each work experience placement.
Notably, the training includes basic financial education provided by Toss CX, a company that signed a business agreement with the Foundation in March for “Youth Customized Financial Growth.” In addition to job performance training, diverse and beneficial learning content is offered to help young people with borderline intellectual functioning maintain a stable life.
Upon completing the eight-week employment competency enhancement training, six participants will be selected for work experience placements at three companies, where they will directly engage in practical tasks such as office assistance and manual testing for five weeks.
The Foundation will assign job coaches during this period to support the participating youth and ensure smooth work experience.
Additionally, the Foundation is preparing a “customized club program” to provide emotional and psychological support beyond career and job competency enhancement for young people with borderline intellectual functioning.
This program, based on peer support (peer learning) with fellow young people, aims to encourage healthy experiential activities by helping participants step out of their rooms. It includes a band club created with practical music majors, an exhibition preparation group through crafts and art activities, and an outing crew exploring Seoul’s famous spots and restaurants.
Joohee Park, Secretary General of the Youth Foundation, stated, “Since employment competency enhancement and work experience support programs for young people with borderline intellectual functioning are among the first of their kind in Korea, we plan to operate them carefully to achieve results as a model to help their social integration. This pilot project aims to boost the confidence of young people with borderline intellectual functioning and provide positive motivation by offering various educational and experiential activities.”
Meanwhile, this project is part of the “2024 Potential Growth Youth Fulfillment Project,” a multifaceted policy package aimed at promoting social integration and growth of young people with borderline intellectual functioning.
In mid-May this year, recruitment for the second group of participants in the “Employment Competency Enhancement and Work Experience Pilot Project” is planned. Announcements for the second pilot project recruitment will be available on the Youth Foundation website and the Seoul Lifelong Education Support Center for People with Borderline Intellectual Functioning website.
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