Jung Min-ho has worked as a staff writer at The Korea Times since 2012, mostly covering social and political issues. He currently belongs to the Politics & City Desk where he covers topics such as health, labor and human rights. Prior to joining the team, he was responsible for covering North Korea and sports. His article about a biosecurity breach of Middle East respiratory syndrome won him an award from the Korea Science Journalists Association in 2016. He is also the co-author of the book, "Medical Pioneers of Korea" (2019). He served as the head of the international relations committee at the Journalists Association of Korea from 2021 to 2023.
'Ausbildung helps young people find dreams, not just jobs'
An Ausbildung trainee learns from an instructor at BMW Korea's service center in southern Seoul. Courtesy of Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry
By Jung Min-ho
By Jung Min-ho
Kim Hyo-joon
The biggest problem with Korea's high youth unemployment is not a lack of jobs. Rather, it is a lack of jobs that can make young people dream about a better future.
Stable, high-paying positions for university-educated people are limited, but many (about seven out of 10) choose to go to university and fiercely compete for the same goal because they feel that there's no future in the precarious, low-paying jobs available for those without bachelor's degrees.
According to Kim Hyo-joon, the chairman of BMW Korea and the Korean-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KGCCI), a solution to the mismatch is to offer high school students another option ― a chance to work at a global company as a full-time employee without the degree.
“Ausbildung will help young people find their dreams, not just jobs,” Kim said during a recent interview. “It will help them build their careers and strive for a better future, which I believe is essential for a healthy, advanced society.”
In two years, the first generation of about 80 Ausbildung trainees will complete their training and begin their careers, mostly as mechanics, at companies such as BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Kim is already excited about the bright future ahead of them.
“I have no doubt that they will set good precedents,” he said. “Some will work here and others may choose to work overseas. The whole world is their stage.”
Ausbildung is a vocational program, but not an ordinary one. It is a training system based on a contract between a company and a person who wishes to work there. For three years, the trainee receives practical, on-site training and education at one of the three partner schools ― Doowon Technical University College, Yeoju Institute of Technology and Yeungnam University College.
After completing the program, everyone, not just a few winners, becomes eligible to work as a full-time member of a company they chose and receives an associate's degree. In addition, the KGCCI, which is in charge of managing the supervision of the process of Ausbildung, gives everyone a certificate issued by the Association of German Chambers of Industry and Commerce, which is expected to open doors for those who want to work in Germany or other countries.
“Ausbildung is led by companies based on their needs,” said Susanne Woehrle, KGCCI vice president and one of the key officials who introduced the program here in 2017. “They invest in them (the participants). They need them, so they keep them. It is a win-win for everyone.
“It takes a lot of time and effort for companies to train new workers fresh out of school. But, by the time Ausbildung trainees finish the program, they are already trained enough to work as professionals.”
The KGCCI has signed a memorandum of understanding with five government ministries, including the Defense Ministry, which agreed to offer mechanic positions in the military to trainees who want to serve their mandatory military duty during the program.
For now, most jobs offered through Ausbildung are mechanic positions, but the KGCCI expects more companies will join with various job offers.
In Germany, a variety of professions, including bakers, dental technicians and police officers, can be obtained through Ausbildung, with about 1.5 million trainees completing it every year.