A notice related to youth employment support is displayed at the Seoul Western Employment and Welfare Plus Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul. [Yonhap]
A notice related to youth employment support is displayed at the Seoul Western Employment and Welfare Plus Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul. [Yonhap]

The Ministry of Employment and Labor is reviewing the performance of its youth employment support program, Cheongnyeon Mirae Plus, and moving to upgrade it based on feedback from participants and field workers. The ministry aims to help young people settle into the labor market by strengthening support not only during the job-search phase but also for workplace adjustment and career planning after hiring.

The ministry and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea held an open forum Monday at the Seoul Regional Employment and Labor Office to share results from the Cheongnyeon Mirae Plus program and discuss ways to improve it. About 20 people attended, including officials from the ministry and the Human Resources Development Service, representatives from the Korea IT Software Service Industry Association (KOSA) — the program's operating body — as well as working-professional mentors and youth participants.

The forum covered the program's operational status and key achievements, then moved to discussions on strengthening collaboration with employment centers and identifying areas for improvement. Mentors and mentees were also given time to exchange views freely, sharing what had been helpful and suggesting where additional support was needed. The session departed from a conventional meeting structure, using an informal "pizza forum" format to encourage open conversation.

Youth participants said one-on-one mentoring with working professionals had been genuinely useful not only during the job search but also for adjusting to the workplace and planning their careers after joining a company. One participant in the employed-youth program said, "Even after getting a job, I received onboarding training and career-planning mentoring, which helped me a great deal in settling into the workplace."

Working-professional mentors suggested expanding opportunities for ongoing communication with young participants and broadening platforms where mentors and mentees can share experiences and information more widely.

Lee Byeong-hun, president of the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, said he hoped the forum would provide practical help to young people entering the workforce, adding that the organization would continue to actively support youth in finding employment and making a stable transition into working life.


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