System of Technical and Vocational Education and Training

In the Republic of Korea, technical and vocational education programmes within the formal education system are provided at both senior secondary schools and post-secondary institutions (junior colleges). Out-of-school vocational training is provided as non-formal education.

Vocational senior secondary schools provide three-year programmes, preceded by six years of primary education and three years of junior secondary education. The programmes can be divided into six categories: agricultural, technical, commercial, marine and fisheries, vocational and comprehensive. The duration of field training varies, ranging from one to six months in agricultural and commercial schools, one to twelve months in technical schools and from three to twelve months in fishery and marine schools. Vocational senior secondary schools are the major institutions for training the craftsmen and skilled manpower in the Republic of Korea. In 1997 there were 771 technical and vocational senior secondary schools with a total enrollment of 960,037, which accounted for about 40 per cent of the total senior secondary school enrollment.

Junior vocational colleges provide two-year post-secondary programmes, with the exception of the marine and fisheries, and nursing courses which last two-and-a-half years and three years respectively. The purpose of junior college education is to produce middle-level technicians equipped with a solid base of theoretical knowledge and practical skills to meet the increasing demand for technical manpower following rapid industrialization. Specialized programmes are grouped into technical, agricultural, nursing, fisheries, health, commercial and business, home economics and so on. In 1997 there were 155 junior colleges with an enrollment of 724,741, about 28 percent of the total higher education enrollment.

Non-formal vocational training comprises public and private training. Public vocational training is undertaken by the Korea Manpower Agency (KOMA) under the Ministry of Labour and local governments. It aims to train semi-skilled and skilled workers through programmes lasting from three months to two years. KOMA manages institutes concerned with a broad range of occupations, while local governments concentrate on training in trades necessary for increasing the income of farm households.

Private vocational training is conducted by enterprises and corporations. Enterprises are required to pay employment insurance fees, the latter depending on the number of employees. The fees paid by the enterprises are pooled into a central fund, known as employment insurance funds, that are used to finance the vocational competency development programmes. The vocational competency development scheme, which came into effect in January 1999, replaced the compulsory training levy system. Private training is also carried out by corporations authorized by the Ministry of Labour.

The duration of vocational training programmes vary, ranging from short-term (hours, days, weeks) to long-term (six months to two years). The vocational training courses are divided into 'basic training', 'upgrade training', 'job transfer training', and 'retraining,' according to the objective of the training. The programmes are provided in 477 fields covering 23 technical areas. In 1997, 477 training institutes (96 public and 381 private) provided training for 302,646 trainees.

EMP/SKILLS - Skills and Employability Department