[Provided by Dongguk University WISE Campus]
[Provided by Dongguk University WISE Campus]

Dongguk University's WISE Campus is teaming up with the Gyeongju Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Gyeongju City Employment Support Center to build a practical cooperative system aimed at closing the local youth hiring mismatch.

On Monday, WISE Campus officials visited the Gyeongju Chamber of Commerce and Industry for a meeting with Vice Chairman Lee Sang-chun, Secretary-General Kim Dong-seon, Director Lee Gyu-ik and other chamber officials, along with Kim Kyung-soo, head of the Gyeongju City Employment Support Center.

The group discussed changing the way local companies connect with job seekers and jointly proposing regional policies to help young people settle in the area for the long term.

Shin Seung-woo, head of the Employment Support Center at Dongguk University's WISE Campus, said, "The majority of our students come from outside the region," adding, "There is an urgent need for local government-level settlement incentives to help them settle here after graduation."

The core of the new partnership lies in changing which companies serve as hiring targets. Local hiring partnerships had previously focused mainly on large companies based in the region. But such firms tend to run nationwide recruitment systems, making it hard for individual local universities to build direct ties with them — a limitation that has long been noted.

In response, the three organizations decided to prioritize about 10 mid-sized companies and highly competitive small businesses with sales between 50 billion and 200 billion won ($149 million) as initial targets. They introduced a new "one-team" visit approach, working together to ensure local talent is genuinely reflected in these companies' hiring systems.

"Dongguk University WISE Campus graduates have more than enough capability," said Lee Sang-chun, vice chairman of the Gyeongju Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "What companies really want is not just credentials, but people who can adapt quickly on the job and put down roots in the region for the long haul."

Lee Gyu-ik, a chamber director, also suggested there was a need "to meet directly with owners and top management who hold real decision-making power, in order to raise the share of local hires."

Going forward, the three organizations plan to share job-demand survey data and company data with one another. The chamber, the university and the Gyeongju City Employment Support Center will jointly visit target companies in the area to meet directly with their management.

An Young-gyu, head of the University Job Plus Center at Dongguk University's WISE Campus, said, "Combining the school's job-placement management capabilities with the chamber's on-the-ground network will create a path for students to settle down and work in this region in practice." He added, "We will work with the community to give young people reasons to keep living in Gyeongju instead of leaving."


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