Seoul expands technical education for youth facing job market challenges

Seoul City is broadening its technical education initiatives to help young people secure employment in skilled trades. Many university graduates find that job openings increasingly require certifications and practical experience, which traditional academic programs may not fully provide. Ha Jin-ho, 27, who majored in electrical engineering, obtained an electrical technician certification and received practical training at the Seoul Northern Technical Education Center last year. He now works in facility management at an apartment complex in Gangdong-gu, Seoul.

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I thought I could get a job just with my university major, but when I looked at job postings, many required certifications and field experience.

Ha explained that while university courses focused on electrical principles and calculations, the technical education center taught hands-on skills like wiring, piping, and electrical work used in the field. Similarly, Kim Sung-il, 28, who studied architecture, spent about three years working at an architectural firm. The growing demand for practical skills and certifications reflects a challenging job market for young people.

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In university, we learned about electrical principles and calculations, but at the technical education center, I learned skills used in the field, like connecting wires and doing piping and wiring work.

According to national data, the youth employment rate in May was 43.8%, a 2.4 percentage point decrease from the previous year, while the unemployment rate rose to 7.2%, up 0.6 percentage points. As job prospects narrow and concerns grow about artificial intelligence impacting office positions, more young people are seeking vocational training and certifications that offer practical, in-demand skills.

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The results I create are right in front of me...