Korea Research
Institute for Vocational Education and Training
Establishing a Lifelong Career Development System for All
Chapter 05
Jeong, Yun-kyeong (Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow) Lee, Jae-yeol (Team Leader, Career Information Team) Jeong, Ji-eun (Director, Center for Career Exploration and Contents
Development)
Chapter
5 Establishing a Lifelong Career Development System for All
Jeong Yun-kyeong(Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow) Lee Jae-yeol(Team Leader, Career Information Team) Jeong Ji-eun(Director, Center for Career Exploration and Contents Development)
Section 1 Introduction
Demand for career development for all has been growing not only among individuals but also within the society as science and technology advance, change and uncertainty increase in the labor market and careers due to socioeconomic changes. Career development includes jobs where an individual earns income in various contexts in life. It also allows an individual to choose, prepare for and appreciate a wide range of life roles and experiences through having a job.
Consequently, it is directly related to one’s happiness in life and social stability and development. Career development in Korea, which has been taking place offline, is currently faced with a number of limitations due to the COVID -19 pandemic that started in late 2019 (Seo Yoo-jeong et al., 2020a; Jeong Si-won et al., 2020). At the same time, the need for new career development support is growing as future innovative technologies are introduced and the world of careers is quickly changing (Jang Joo-hee, 2021).
In Chapter 5, we examine the current status and issues in career development in the following four aspects: organizations and manpower for lifelong career development; laws and systems relevant to lifelong career development; the current status and limitations of career education and employment services, and; career information for career choices for all. Subsequently, we offer policy suggestions to improve these prevailing issues.
Section 2 Current Status and Issues
1. The Current Status and Issues of Organizations and Manpower for Lifelong Career Development
At the core of support for career development stand relevant organizations and manpower. Career development support organizations for all Koreans consist of central organizations and local organizations. Central organizations are responsible for career development support policies and consist of the Ministry of Eduction in charge of school-age youths and university students, the Ministry of Employment and Labor in charge of young adult and adult job seekers, and the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family in charge of women. Established as per the 「Career Education Act」, the National Career Education Center carries out various tasks such as developing goals and attainment standards for career education, establishing and operating career information networks, researching and evaluating the current status of career education. However, the center is faced with limitations to serving as a nationwide career education hub due to limited budget. Local organizations are comprised of 17 municipal and provincial offices of education, local career education centers, career experience and support centers and unit schools which support career development for youths. However, the financial stability and expertise of local career education centers and career experience and support centers are rather insufficient.
The workforce for career development support consists of mainly career guidance teachers in elementary, middle and high schools in charge of the career development of school-age youths. As of April 2020, the career guidance teacher (11,123 teachers) to elementary, middle and high school (11,751 schools) ratio stood at 95.7% , which is very high. However, it is regrettable to note that only 8% of career guidance teachers in elementary schools have expertise in career education (Table 5-1).
Table 5-1. Career guidance teacher to student ratio in elementary schools
(Unit: School, %)
Educational stage
Have career guidance teachers
Do not have career guidance teachers N Career guidance
teachers with expertise in career
education
Teachers in charge of some tasks related to school career education
Subtotal
Frequency Ratio Frequency Ratio Frequency Ratio Frequency Ratio Elementary
school 34 8.4 337 84.4 371 92.8 29 7.2 400
Annotation) Ratios have been weighted
Source: Seo Yoo-jeong et al. (2020a). 2020 National Career Education Center Operational Support 1. The Current Status of Career Education in Elementary and Middle Schools (2020). Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET). p.192.
University students and young adults are mainly supported by career centers and employment support centers at local universities. Employment and Welfare Plus Centers, career centers and Saeil Centers for Women are at the center of providing public employment services to young adult and adult job seekers. However, as the first hands-on public employment services that offer grants, the career guidance programs of Employment and Welfare Plus Centers are mostly focused only on a couple of employment seminars (Jeong Si-won et al., 2020 : 62, 188).
2. The Current Status and Issues of Laws and Systems for Lifelong Career Development Support
The legal foundation for career development for all is essential and needed in securing systematic and stable support organizations, manpower and budgets.
Notable examples include the 「Career Education Act」 (implemented on December 23, 2015) that supports the career development of youths and university students, and the 「Employment Security Act」 (implemented on January 1, 1962) that promotes job security for adult workers including young adults. Furthermore, elective subject
‘Career and Jobs’ was newly introduced in the national school curriculum for middle schools (2009) and high schools (2002). In addition, career exploration and training support that reflect individuals’ talents and aptitudes are to be further strengthened
with the exam-free semester system, which was adopted in middle schools in 2016, and the high school credit system, which will be implemented in 2025.
The purpose of the「Career Education Act」is “to provide students with various opportunities to receive career education in order for them to adapt actively to the changing occupational world and to capitalize on their talents and aptitudes, thereby increasing the happiness of people’s lives and economic and social development.”
The Act serves as a legal foundation for the National Career Education Center, local career education centers and career guidance teachers, which are elements of the career development support systems for youths. However, the current Act is centered around career education in schools, and therefore needs to be amended to be more inclusive of career development support for socially disadvantaged youths, university students and adults (Seo Yoo-jeong et al., 2016 : 134).
The「Employment Stability Act」serves as a legal foundation for securing system and manpower for employment centers, employment counsellors and employment security institutions. However, despite over 30 amendments over the last six decades, the Act provides little basis for supporting career development that meets the demand of young adults and adults from the educational perspective.
3. The Current Status and Limitations of Career Education and Employment Services
According to a 2020 survey on the current status of career education, the participation of elementary, middle and high school students in career-related activities dropped significantly compared to 2019. At the same time, the career development capacity and the career education satisfaction level, which are considered the performance of career education, have also dropped (Seo Yoo-jeong et al., 2020a). Such results are believed to have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, participation in activity-centered career experience and career counseling, entrepreneurship experience decreased significantly (Seo Yoo-jeong et al., 2020a).
Moreover, students are showing little interest and low participation in career education at universities. Only approximately 10% of university students use career, employment and entrepreneurship support organizations (centers) operated by universities. More than half of students do not utilize these services even though they are aware of their availability. Furthermore, online career support systems are used by only approximately 30% of students (Lee Jae-yeol et al., 2020). Such level of awareness and participation in career, employment and entrepreneurship education at universities are major impediments to the provision of career, employment and entrepreneurship support for university students.
The level of satisfaction on career education programs offered by public education facilities (Employment and Welfare Plus Centers, Saeil Centers for Women, etc.) for adults were less than 3 out of 5 for all categories of the career goal system. In particular, ‘the lack of desired education programs’ have made more than half of participants to stop using public education facilities (Seo Yoo-jeong et al., 2020b).
Source: Seo Yoo-jeong, Lee Jae-yeol, Lee Yoon-jin (2020). 「Current Status and Issues of Career Education for Adults at Public Education Facilities｣,『KRIVET Issue Brief』, Volume 198.
Figure 5-1. Satisfaction level by career goal system category offered of career education programs offered by public education facilities
To summarize the current status of the aforementioned career education and employment services, the use by and satisfaction levels of students and young adults are rather disappointing despite an increase in the number of career education services. It also appears that adults are provided with limited support in terms of career development.
4. The Increased Use of Career Education and Information Networks and Insufficient Career Information
Korea’s career education and information networks include ‘Careernet’, a comprehensive career information network offered by the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training (KRIVET), online entrepreneurship experience and education platform ‘YEEP’, career experience and information network
‘Ggoomgil’ and ‘Remote Video Career Mentoring’. A comprehensive membership service has been introduced recently to integrate and connect career education and information networks. As of July 2021, over 1.8 million users have joined the service.
The number of members and interest in the network grew rapidly in the first half of 2020 as COVID-19 ushered in contactless career education.
Source: Internal data of KRIVET.
Figure 5-2. The number of career education and information network members (2019-2021)
However, the production and distribution of career information so far have been provided for career education in schools with career information being produced mostly by suppliers such as the Ministry of Education. The production and distribution of career information for university students and adults are relatively slow as resources and efforts have been allocated mainly to career education in schools.
Section 3 Policy Tasks
1. Reduce the Five-Year Promotion Plan for Lifelong Career Development to Three Years
Infrastructure for career development support in Korea was established through
‘Five-Year Promotion Plan for Lifelong Career Development (2007-2011)’ and multiple rounds of ‘Career Development Basic Plan’ (2010, 2013 and 2016) by the government. A comprehensive and systematic plan needs to be established and implemented to build infrastructure and provide services for career development support that serves every stage of life and individual. The current five-year plan can be reduced to three or two years to respond to the fast changing environment.
A Three-Year Promotion Plan for Lifelong Career Development should include methods to improve and strengthen infrastructure for career development support for all by stage of life. Basic plans for tailored career development support services need to be established and implemented in phases. Targeted career development support for all, in particular, requires cooperation of not only the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Employment and Labor, but also various other ministries. Moreover, the plan should include methods to enhance the capacity of not only public institutions but also private local institutions and manpower.
2. Establish Career Development Guidelines at the National Level
Policies and projects for career development for adults are expanding as governmental support and demand for such services grow. National career development guidelines need to be introduced to effectively promote relevant policies in the larger scheme of career development for all Koreans. These guidelines can serve as the foundation for setting the direction of national and local career education support, developing and evaluating relevant programs.
Moreover, the direction of national career development programs needs to be set
clearly through sufficient discussion on the purpose of career development pursued by the country and the establishment of relevant career development guidelines. The direction and strategies for government-wide national career education must be prepared by consulting with not only the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Employment and Labor, but also the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.
3. Amend the 「Career Education Act」 to Support Lifelong Career Development that Includes Adults
The support system for career development for all should expand to provide support in each stage of life and to people who require specialized support for each stage. Therefore, its legal foundation must be strengthened. The current 「Career Education Act」 (implemented on December 23, 2015) targets career education support systems for school-age youths and university students. The Act needs to be amended to include detailed clauses for more disadvantaged groups (socially disadvantaged population, special education students, multicultural youths, North Korean defectors, etc.). Furthermore, additional clauses need to be added to offer career development support services from the educational perspective and serve a wider range of adults. New support organizations, manpower, content and programs need to be developed and distributed for the career development of adults.
4. Strengthen Career Education in Elementary Schools, the First Stage of Career Development for All
Career development for elementary school students is a foundation stage as students learn more about careers, identify their career paths in middle school and prepare career plans in high school and for life after graduation. Consequently, current support for career development in elementary schools needs to be enhanced by strengthening relevant organizations and experts to establish a career development support system for all Koreans.
The current 「Career Education Act」 ensures that career guidance teachers are assigned to all elementary schools; however, most of them are simply teachers in charge of career-related school tasks, not teachers with career development expertise. Consequently, more career guidance teachers need to be assigned, ones who can utilize their capacity in career development and its implementation in elementary schools. To that end, more career guidance teachers need to be fostered and assigned to elementary schools. For example, a ‘training program to nurture career guidance teachers for elementary schools’ in 11 universities of education can be operated, or a new ‘career education for elementary school students’ course can be offered in graduate schools of education. A ‘curriculum-related career education teacher system’ needs to be established to operate curricula for career development in elementary schools. A ‘curriculum-related career education teacher system by grade’ needs to be created for career education for each school grade; relevant programs and course materials need to be also developed.
5. Establish Local Career Development Operation Systems to Foster Local Talents
In order for career education to take place in a way where people learn from experience, local career education operation systems need to be established. More elementary and middle school students began to participate in career experience activities since the exam-free semester system was introduced. However, there is still much controversy as to whether these activities provide meaningful learning experiences to students. Society’s perception needs to change from seeing career experience activities as simple learning activities of individual students to the starting point of nurturing local talents.
Site-based career exploration opportunities need to be expanded to local youths and young adults. At the same time, local career options can be offered to adults who wish to reshape their career paths and find new jobs. Furthermore, the range of career options can be expanded from worksites and workers to proactive career-related activities within local societies. On-site and hands-on experiences are
an essential element even in times when online education is gaining ground.
Therefore, career development activities within education, employment and welfare projects in local societies need to be identified, linked and integrated.
6. Establish a Comprehensive Career Education and Information Platform to Increase Accessibility to Career Information
The current career education networks specialize in their own fields, with Careernet at the forefront, which is the oldest and largest in terms of the volume of information. Online entrepreneurship experience and education platform ‘YEEP’, career experience and information network ‘Ggoomgil’ and ‘Remote Video Career Mentoring’ are also in operation. However, despite efforts to integrate the networks into a single system, demand for better use of career information is continuing to grow. University students and adults, in particular, are still struggling with limited accessibility to career information. Consequently, a future career education and information network would need to expand to career education for all Koreans. In that aspect, the current networks need to be practically integrated and a comprehensive career education and information platform needs to be established to provide essential career information to not only students but also everyone else.
A comprehensive platform needs to be built so that career education, experience and counseling can all take place on one site. The platform also needs to serve as an archive of all career education-related information and a plaza where all activities take place altogether. D emand-specific search engines and an information system need to be built to produce a synergy and identify exemplary cases where career education, experience and counseling are all linked together.
7. Transition to an AI-based Career Information System
A rich amount of information is being produced and distributed with Careernet at the core. Although the current career education and information networks are extremely useful, they need to be updated to be more user-friendly. In particular, a large-volume data processing system can be developed and used. Such system is based on future innovative technologies of the 4th Industrial Revolution, namely big data, the Internet of Things and AI. The networks need to be upgraded to an intellectualized career information system that delivers and distributes a large volume of information and content to users effectively. A major transformation is also required in order to establish and adopt an AI-based chatbot system, thereby boosting the speed and intellectualization of career information. Such efforts must go beyond simply establishing a chatbot system to sophisticating the networks for more than three years, thereby allowing it to become a forward-oriented system that offers career counseling and individual-specific solutions.
If the current networks adopt a future technology-based, sophisticated AI chatbot system and transition into an intellectualized system, it will be capable of providing services real-time, increasing content accessibility and the use of linked career information for better user convenience. At the same time, the quality of career counseling services will be enhanced with more active, customized career exploration options, improving user satisfaction. In addition, the system needs to be better linked with external information networks and portal websites, in order to connect and cooperate with school education, employment support and career education.
Section 4 Conclusion
The importance of career development for all is growing as socioeconomic environments change and uncertainty in the world of careers increases. Korea does have a career development support system for all ages from school-age youths to adults; however, a career development support system for all have yet to be established and support for career development is faced with demands of the time brought on by COVID-19 and the rise of contactless activities.
We outlined four suggestions in this chapter to respond to demand for career development support and socioeconomic changes. First, the Five-Year Promotion Plan for Lifelong Career Development can be reduced to three years. Second, national career development guidelines can be established to strengthen the country’s career development support system and include adults in the picture. Third, the
「Career Education Act」 can be amended to support lifelong career development and include support for career development for adults. Fourth, more career guidance teachers with expertise in career counseling can be assigned to elementary schools;
a curriculum-related career education teacher system by grade can be established.
Fifth, career exploration opportunities can be expanded to foster local talents and a local career development support framework can be established. Sixth, a comprehensive career education and information platform can be built to boost the accessibility of all Koreans to career information. Lastly, the current networks can transition to an AI-based career information system for a better utilization of career information by their users.
References
Seo Yoo-jeong, Kim Min-kyeong, Ryu Ji-young, Park Na-sil, Kim Na-ra, Ahn Yoo-jin, Ahn Joong-seok (2020a). 2020 National Career Education Center Operational Support 1. The Current Status of Career Education in Elementary and Middle Schools (2020). Ministry of Education. Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training.
Seo Yoo-jeong, Kim Su-won, Park Cheon-soo, Jeong Yun-kyeong (2016). The Current Status and Tasks of Career Education in the System of the Career Education Act.
Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training.
Seo Yoo-jeong, Lee Jae-yeol, Lee Youn-jin (2020b). 『Research for the Vitalization of Career Education for Adults: Centered Around Act Amendments』. Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training.
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2020 National Career Education Center Operational Support 2. The Current Status of Career and Employment Support in Universities (2020). Ministry of Education.
Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training.
Jang Joo-hee (2021). The Prospects of Professional Jobs in the Era of Artificial Intelligence: Centered Around the Perceptions of Doctors, Investment Managers and Journalists. Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training, 『THE HRD REVIEW』, 24(2).
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Date published December 24, 2021
Printing Decmber 2021
Published by Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training(KRIVET) Publisher Jang-soo Ryu
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Author Jeong, Yun-kyeong., Lee, Jae-yeol and Jeong, Ji-eun
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