The South Korean government will integrate the Youth Advancement Support Project, aimed at helping young people who have given up on job seeking, with the Youth Growth Project, which supports job preparation and daily recovery. The budget for the combined initiative will increase to 90.3 billion won, allowing for support of 67,000 individuals, an increase of 5,000 from this year.
The Ministry of Employment and Labor announced this plan on October 29 while revealing the winners of the '2026 Youth Advancement Support Project and Youth Growth Project Best Practices Contest,' which featured 26 award-winning entries.
The Youth Advancement Support Project provides tailored programs to help young people regain confidence and enter the labor market. The Youth Growth Project offers spaces and programs necessary for job-seeking activities and daily life maintenance for young job seekers.
Starting next year, the two programs will be merged into the 'Youth Advancement and Growth Support Project' to ensure that young people receive continuous support tailored to their circumstances. The budget will increase from 79.9 billion won this year to 90.3 billion won next year.
The contest was organized to share the experiences of youth participants and the expertise of operating organizations and managers. A total of 697 entries were evaluated, including 435 personal accounts from the Youth Advancement Support Project and 262 from the Youth Growth Project.
Lim, who received the top award in the Youth Advancement Support Project participant category, shared that he struggled with repeated job failures before joining the program. Through activities like perfume making and yoga, he regained his daily rhythm and explored career options through lectures and company visits. He is now employed as an assistant instructor in an artificial intelligence boot camp, helping other young people.
Yoo, the top award winner in the Youth Growth Project, participated in the 'First Company for Everyone' program, where he completed tasks related to adapting to a virtual company's organization over 100 hours. He stated, "In the past, I looked for reasons not to start; now, I am looking for ways to try things out," expressing that the program gave him the courage to take on challenges.
In the operating organization category, the Cheongju Chamber of Commerce and the Jeju Pathfinder each received top awards. The Cheongju Chamber of Commerce runs a step-by-step program that guides participants from regaining confidence to career exploration and job preparation, managing their goal achievement process with a 'Dajapgo Diary.'
The Jeju Pathfinder supports young people in connecting their interests to careers through initiatives like 'Today Only Workman,' where they experience job roles at local companies for a day, as well as tasting events and café operations.
Yang Jin-ho, who received the top award in the manager category for the Youth Advancement Support Project, helped a young person struggling with interpersonal relationships and employment connect their hobby of 3D modeling to a job. After experiences in game production and 3D printing, he supported the individual with company visits, resume writing, and mock interviews, leading to employment at a precision manufacturing company for implant parts.
Ha Chang-yong, Director of Youth Employment Policy at the Ministry of Employment and Labor, remarked, "Through this contest, we were able to see the efforts of the field in helping young people overcome difficulties and take on challenges. I hope that sharing these best practices will inspire more young people to discover their potential and embark on new challenges."
* This article has been translated by AI.
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