The Gyeongbuk Office of Education (Superintendent Lim Jong-sik) announced on January 15 that it is taking the lead among the 17 regional offices of education nationwide by initiating the establishment of the tentatively named “Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education Disabled Artists Group.”
To this end, on January 8, it signed a business agreement with the Gyeongbuk branch of the Korea Employment Agency for Persons with Disabilities. This agreement aims to create and promote a public sector-led employment model that enables students with special educational needs who possess artistic talent to continue their careers after completing school education, allowing them to turn their talents into professions.
In the field of special education, the issue of “linking post-graduation career paths to employment” has been a persistent challenge. Due to structural difficulties in translating skills acquired at school into stable employment in society, there have been many cases, especially in the arts, where students’ clear talents are not able to develop further after graduation.
To bridge this gap, the Gyeongbuk Office of Education has been pursuing policies to connect career and employment, with the goal of “not ending support with school education, but taking responsibility for students’ futures.” Following the launch of the “Onullim Ensemble,” an arts group for students with disabilities last year, the current initiative to establish a disabled artists group is another practical example of expanding artistic talent into professional capabilities.
The key focus for the Gyeongbuk Office of Education is not simply job placement, but creating an employment model that designs roles based on individual strengths and talents. In the arts sector, where recruitment channels are limited and short-term, non-regular positions are common, the plan is for public institutions to take the lead in opening doors to employment, providing “first career” opportunities, and creating a pioneering model that can later expand to the private sector and other organizations.
The tentatively named Gyeongsangbuk-do Office of Education Disabled Artists Group will be operated so that its members, who are affiliated with the Office of Education, can continue their creative activities in a stable environment. The members will create works of art, and completed pieces will be shared with the local community through exhibitions at various institutions.
In addition, the group plans to participate in activities to improve educational facilities, such as mural painting, so that disability awareness can be naturally promoted in everyday life.
Another feature of this initiative is its systematic post-employment support. The Gyeongbuk Office of Education will provide assistance with job adaptation and career management for group members, led by a dedicated employment support officer for students with disabilities. The program is designed to ensure that participation in the artists group is not a one-time exhibition, but a stepping stone to future employment. Individual strengths and working styles will be analyzed to develop growth roadmaps, and support will be provided for building portfolios, managing exhibition and project histories, and ensuring that creative outputs are accumulated as tangible career assets.
Additionally, to prevent the burden of initial adaptation from leading to dropouts, on-site support such as adjustments to the work environment and assistance with collaboration will be provided. Through these efforts, the Gyeongbuk Office of Education plans to concretize a disabled artists employment model that supports both “artistic activity” and “sustained employment growth.”
Superintendent Lim Jong-sik stated, “It is the responsibility of education to ensure that the talents of students with disabilities do not stop at school, but continue into life and work. By launching this disabled artists group under the Office of Education, the public sector is opening the door to employment and establishing a ‘career and employment model with full responsibility’ that extends to job adaptation and career management after hiring.”
He added, “We will continue to identify and expand various career and employment models for disabled artists that meet the needs of the field.”
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