China’s job-hungry youth offered lifeline by South Korean university with its ‘exemplary employment-linked model’
- A South Korean university is launching a new associate degree programme exclusively for international students, most of whom are from China and Vietnam
- South Korea is grappling with a labour shortage amid the backdrop of a shrinking birth rate and a rapidly ageing population
A version of this article has also been published by The Korea Times in a partnership with the South China Morning Post.
A vocational college in South Korea is opening its doors to train and ensure employment for international students – more than half of whom are Chinese – to become skilled workers amid nationwide labour shortages.
Seoyeong University in the southwestern city of Gwangju is launching a new associate degree programme exclusively for international students, most of whom are from China and Vietnam, the school’s newly established office of international education said.
And with the labour shortage in South Korea showing no signs of abating amid a growing reliance on foreign workers for its economy to move forward, analysts anticipate the programme would continue to gain traction.
The university is among few schools in South Korea that have partnered with local manufacturers and companies to ensure employment opportunities for international students upon graduation.
It is also the first vocational school that provides help to foreign graduates to obtain work visas, the school added.