Ministry of Employment and Labor introduces programs for career-changing job seekers

The Ministry of Employment and Labor has released a video featuring singer Hur Young-ji to promote support measures like 'Future Tomorrow Work Experience' and 'K-Digital Training.' These initiatives aim to help young people, such as a Seoul National University graduate seeking work in the defense industry, gain practical experience and professional mentoring.

Job seekers who decide to pursue career paths unrelated to their college majors often face deep concerns. In a job market where companies tend to prefer candidates with relevant majors, there is significant anxiety regarding whether non-majors can secure competitiveness. A video released by the Ministry of Employment and Labor captures these realistic concerns of young people and the government support measures designed to resolve them.

The video, titled 'Young-ji's Close-up Youth Policy Delivery,' depicts singer Hur Young-ji visiting a job seeker to listen to their concerns and personally deliver necessary youth employment policies. The protagonist of this meeting is a young person who graduated from Seoul National University with a degree in landscape architecture and is preparing for employment in the defense industry. He stated that he chose a path different from his major because he wants to do work that involves directly interacting with and helping people rather than urban planning tasks.

The lack of practical experience and the thirst for advice from professionals during the job preparation process are common challenges for young people. The protagonist noted, "Since I have no job-related experience, I need opportunities such as internships or part-time jobs," and added that "if I could hear vivid stories from professionals when writing self-introductions or preparing for interviews, I could reduce trial and error." In particular, despite obtaining a data analysis certification, he emphasized the importance of practical experience, stating, "Obtaining a certification is different from working in the field."

'Future Tomorrow Work Experience' for practical skills and 'K-Digital Training' for digital talent

To address the 'lack of experience' faced by young people, the Ministry of Employment and Labor proposed the 'Future Tomorrow Work Experience' program. This program supports young people so they can build competencies by directly experiencing practical work in various forms, such as participating in projects or internship-type roles at companies. It goes beyond simple internships by including methods where participants directly perform specific projects, making it suitable for young people who, even if they already have internship experience, wish to gain practical experience in other fields of interest.

'K-Digital Training,' aligned with the era of digital transformation, was also introduced as a major policy. This vocational training project helps develop practical skills in cutting-edge fields such as AI and big data. Rather than staying at theoretical education, the program includes processes where companies participate to perform projects used in actual industrial sites, providing practical help to those who wish to possess real-world data utilization skills beyond merely obtaining certifications. In the video, the protagonist, who holds a data analysis certification, confirmed that this policy, which includes company-participating projects, could be suitable for him as he desires practical-oriented study.

Completing job preparation with 'Youth Future Plus' providing professional mentoring

The 'advice from professionals' most needed by a young person walking a new path after changing majors can be addressed through 'Youth Future Plus.' This policy provides comprehensive support for the entire job preparation process, from career counseling to vocational training and job matching. In particular, it helps young people design their own futures by providing one-on-one mentoring from professionals to answer practical questions, as well as job training, employment consulting, and corporate matching.

The protagonist in the video showed high interest in the Youth Future Plus policy, which includes professional mentoring, calling it "a program where I can hear the most realistic advice I need right now." He expressed his determination to successfully enter society through policy support, stating his goal to participate in KARA's 20th-anniversary activities or fan meetings after successfully finding employment.

How to check youth employment policy information and participate

The Ministry of Employment and Labor operates the 'Ontong Cheongnyeon' and 'Employment 24' platforms so that young people can check more employment policies. Through these platforms, young people can search for and participate in customized policies tailored to their needs.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Employment and Labor is also conducting a special event for video viewers. Among those who leave a comment with their own cheering song and the reason for the recommendation after watching the video, 10 people will be selected by lottery to receive a 5,000 won Mega Coffee mobile voucher. The event period is from November 3 to November 13, 2026, and winners will be announced individually via text message on November 20.

Source: original video (YouTube)