Gwangju City Recruiting 'Dream Centers' for Youth Work Experience... Up to 90% Wage Support for 5 Months

Gwangju Metropolitan City Hall. Photo by Song Bohyun

The Gwangju Metropolitan Government is recruiting workplaces for the "Gwangju Youth Work Experience Dream Center," a program that offers job site experience to unemployed young people.

On January 8, the city announced that it will publicly recruit workplaces for the "Gwangju Youth Work Experience Dream Center," which provides work experience opportunities for Gwangju youth, until January 16. This initiative, launched in 2017, is Gwangju’s flagship youth employment policy, designed to help young people develop practical job skills through hands-on experience at various workplaces and support their stable settlement in the region.

Eligible workplaces are those with five or more regular employees located in Gwangju, the Gwangju-Jeonnam Joint Innovation City, or the Bitgreen Industrial Complex. These workplaces must be able to offer job-centered work experience that reflects the unique characteristics of their operations, rather than simple support tasks. However, startups, social welfare organizations, and workplaces with fewer than five employees that have received certification related to social value (economy) are also eligible to participate.

The selected "19th Dream Center" workplaces will provide work experience opportunities for up to five months, from March to July. During this period, the city will subsidize 90% of participating youths' wages. In addition, small and medium-sized enterprises that hire participating youths for more than one year after the program ends will receive an additional subsidy of up to 2.4 million won per youth.

Workplaces wishing to participate can apply through the Gwangju Youth Work Experience Dream website by 5:00 p.m. on January 16. The city plans to conduct on-site inspections and evaluations before announcing the final list of Dream Centers later in January.

Kwon Yoonsuk, Director of the Gwangju Youth Policy Division, stated, "The Work Experience Dream program offers young people opportunities for job experience, while providing workplaces a chance to discover local talent. We hope many workplaces will participate to help create youth jobs and foster talent."