The visit was part of the Asian Development Bank's South Asia Public Employment Service Capacity Building Project; Mapo Youth Startup and Employment Support Center Naru draws more than 60,000 visitors a year
A delegation of Sri Lankan government officials traveled to Mapo Youth Startup and Employment Support Center Naru to study South Korea's youth employment policies firsthand.
Mapo-gu said about 10 civil servants from the Manpower and Employment Division of Sri Lanka's Ministry of Labour visited the center — known as Mapo Youth Naru — on Thursday.
The visit was organized as part of the Asian Development Bank's South Asia Public Employment Service Capacity Building Project. The Korea Labor Foundation, an agency under the Ministry of Employment and Labor, coordinated the delegation's itinerary and selected Mapo Youth Naru as a model site representing South Korea's youth employment policy.
During the visit, the Sri Lankan officials received briefings on Mapo-gu's youth policies and the center's locally rooted employment services. They also toured the facility, observing its job-seeking and startup support programs, youth-led space operations and policy implementation cases.
Shanika Nadeeshani Mayadunne, a deputy director general from Sri Lanka, said she was impressed that classrooms, a media room and a lounge were all available under one roof. "We will study Korea's systems, facilities and operational methods closely so we can apply them to Sri Lanka's public employment services," she said.
Mapo Youth Naru is a district-run youth support center that Mapo-gu opened in December 2019 to help young people enter the workforce and become self-reliant. It offers comprehensive services covering startup support, job placement, networking activities and rest spaces.
The center has drawn particular praise for its "Startup Master" course designed to build entrepreneurial skills, job-search consulting and events, walk-in counseling, youth networking, psychological recovery programs and aptitude exploration — supporting young people from the career-exploration stage through to successful employment or business launch.
As a result, more than 60,000 young people used Mapo Youth Naru last year, and the center recorded about 50 cases of measurable achievement, including employment, business launches, certifications and awards.
Mapo-gu District Mayor Yoo Dong-kyun said he was pleased to welcome the Sri Lankan delegation. "I hope Mapo's youth policies help improve the employment environment for young people in Sri Lanka," he said. "We will consistently expand policies that support youth employment and entrepreneurship going forward."
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