An AI agent course underway at the Gangbuk Workers' Welfare Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul. [Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]
An AI agent course underway at the Gangbuk Workers' Welfare Center in Mapo-gu, Seoul. [Provided by Seoul Metropolitan Government]

The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced Tuesday that it will run 22 second-half programs in reemployment, AI, health and culture at the Seoul Workers' Welfare Center and the Gangbuk Workers' Welfare Center.

Any worker living in Seoul may participate free of charge by applying through each center's website this month.

The Seoul Workers' Welfare Center in Yeongdeungpo-gu focuses on reemployment for middle-aged and older workers, offering hands-on training in home repair entrepreneurship, plumbing and leak detection, maternal and newborn health care, and after-school program instruction. Courses in AI applications, IT and Pilates run on weekday evenings from 7 p.m.

The city also operates a "Reemployment Academy" that pairs technical training in high-demand occupations with job counseling. Last year, 230 of 374 participants found employment, a placement rate of 61.5 percent. In the first half of this year, 217 people enrolled across 12 courses.

A new program called "Middle-Aged Reemployment Rebooting" will launch in the second half, targeting workers considering a career change. It will cover career-interest exploration, career redesign, job-search strategy and AI skills, running from Oct. 15 to Nov. 5.

At the Gangbuk Workers' Welfare Center in Mapo-gu, workers can take introductory and advanced AI courses, workplace speech training, Pilates and yoga, calligraphy and traditional brush writing after business hours.

Both centers also provide consultations on workplace issues including wage theft, working conditions, workplace harassment and industrial accidents. The Seoul Workers' Welfare Center will begin offering evening labor consultations every Monday from 6 to 9 p.m. starting this month. Workers can also receive job-search counseling — including resume and cover letter writing and interview coaching — from professional career counselors.

The two centers operate shared office spaces and rest areas free of charge for freelancers and job seekers. The Seoul Workers' Welfare Center additionally offers employment counseling covering resume writing and interview coaching, as well as legal and labor consultations on wage theft and workplace harassment.

Visitor numbers at both centers have been rising. Since the facilities were converted into open welfare spaces for vulnerable workers, program participation grew from about 7,000 in 2024 to about 11,000 last year. In the first half of this year alone, about 6,000 people took part in 45 programs covering reemployment, job skills and wellness.

"We will continue to support workers so they can access education, counseling and rest services suited to their needs at a nearby welfare center," said Park Gyeong-hwan, director of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's People's Livelihood and Labor Bureau.


ken@heraldcorp.com