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Participants in the caregiver training program for the hearing impaired are attending classes. Provided by Seoul City

Seoul City moves from ‘one-time allowances’ to ‘sustainable jobs’ for disabled employment

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Customized training for jobs such as caretakers and baristas for the hearing impaired

Supporting independence with 250 jobs ranging from public administration to cultural arts

  Seoul City has launched job-centered employment experiments to transcend the limitations of ‘one-time allowances’ in disabled employment. The aim is to support sustainable independence for the disabled through a structure that connects education, qualifications, and hiring, moving beyond the existing short-term labor-focused policies.

  Existing disabled employment policies have focused on providing short-term jobs or allowances, but structural limitations have been continuously raised as they fail to connect to actual independence and long-term employment.

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  Seoul City is actively promoting a job-centered employment model to improve this situation. Recently, various pilot programs have been implemented, including caregiver qualification training for the hearing impaired, practical barista training, administrative participation in public institutions, and support for starting convenience stores.

  In particular, the caregiver training program for the hearing impaired, introduced for the first time this year, has been evaluated as opening new opportunities in a caregiving field that previously had high entry barriers. Seoul City will conduct a 7-week theory and practical training for 40 hearing-impaired individuals until the 22nd of next month. Following completion, opportunities for on-site practical training linked to care institutions will also be provided. To enhance educational accessibility, sign language and text interpretation services, along with sign language video materials for qualification exam preparation, will be offered.

  This project is significant as it supports hearing-impaired individuals to perform their social roles as caregivers, going beyond simple job training. The curriculum was designed based on feedback from hearing-impaired caregivers with actual field experience, and a total of 146 million KRW from the lottery fund is allocated for the entire project. Three hearing-related agencies are in charge of recruiting students and providing interpretation support, while a social cooperative handles text interpretation.

  Expansion of job roles in the service sector is also underway. The Seoul Integrated Support Center for Disabled Employment is separately running practical training courses for baristas. It targets registered disabled individuals residing in Seoul aged 15 and older. The application deadline is the 23rd. The practice-oriented training is entirely free, and those who complete the program will receive support for placement at practice sites, employment assistance, allowances, and a certificate of completion.

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*Please note this is a Korean article

Source: Kuki News