Research in ch arge : Ji-Su n Ch u n g Research staff : N am -Ch u l Lee
Th is stu dy aim s to p rom ote d evelop m en tal strategies of th e learn in g leave system as a fin an cial su p p ort system for lifelon g learn in g to p rom ote th e em p loyees' learn in g. Wh ile Article 7 of th e cu rren t Lifelon g Ed u cation Law d isp lays a stron g w illin gn ess to su p p ort lifelon g learn in g by settlin g th e learn in g leav e as w ell as th e p rovision of learn in g exp en ses, th e fact rem ain s th at th ere are n o clear p lan s to brin g abou t th eir actu al im p lem en tation .
With regard s to learn in g leave p rogram s for p u blic sector officials, th e Korea N ation al Op en Un iversity In stru ction Leav e
Program , classified as a sp ecial leav e p rogram in th e Pu blic Service Regu lation s, is th e on ly on e available. Th e Job Skill Develop m en t Program , p art of th e Em p loym en t In su ran ce System calls for p rivate sector em p loyees to be p rovid ed w ith p aid leav e train in g p rogram s, w h ich is p resen tly th e m ost rep resen tativ e of th e learn in g leave for p riv ate sector . Th e p roblem s stem m in g from th e learn in g leav e p rogram s faced by both p u blic sector officials an d p riv ate sector em p loyees can be su m m arized as follow s.
Th e p roblem s are a lack of u n d erstan d in g of th e lean in g leav e on th e p art of th e em p loyers, in equ ality of op p ortu n ities, th e absen ce of a basic learn in g cu ltu re, p rovid er-cen tered learn in g leav e system s, a com p lete lack of tim e for learn in g in to p ractice, th e absen ce of a bu d get clau se for learn in g leav e p rogram s, in su fficien cy of p rofession al-v ocation al ed u cation an d train in g p rogram s, d isp ersion of h olid ays an d leav es as w ell as th e sign ifican t d istin ction of th e ben efits of learn in g leav e d ep en d in g on th e sizes an d classes of th e firm s.
Th e ILO d efin es a p aid learn in g leave as on e giv en to em p loyees, w h ich is accom p an ied by su fficien t p aym en t to cov er th e ed u cation al costs of su ch a p rogram u n d ertaken d u rin g w orkin g h ou rs. Learn in g leave p rogram s in Fran ce, Germ any, UK, Can ad a an d USA p rovid e u s th e follow in g lesson s. First, learn in g leav e p rogram s in th ose cou n tries are orien ted tow ard s th e em p loyees th em selv es in th eir p u rsu it of th e d ev elop m en t of th eir v ocation al skills. Secon d, em p loyees are also giv en th e righ t to ch oose an d d ecid e w h ich p articip an ts w ill be in volv ed in su ch p rogram s, w h ile em p loyers are su p p osed to p rovid e train in g exp en ses. Th ird, th is in d ep en d en t su p p ort system en ables th ese
p rogram s to be bu ilt u p on a stable legal fou n d ation . Th ese are th e ch aracteristics fou n d in th e learn in g leav e p rogram s of th e cou n tries listed abov e.
Based on th e brief an alysis p rovid ed abov e, som e d evelop m en t strategies of th e learn in g leav e p rogram s can be su ggested . First, th e gov ern m en t, corp oration s, an d in d ivid u als actin g as th e lead ers of learn in g leav e p rogram s sh ou ld striv e to im p rov e th ese p rogram s. At th e ou tset, th e gov ern m en t sh ou ld p rovid e an d con d u ct th e n ecessary fu n d am en tal stu d ies an d establish th e fu n d in g for th ese learn in g leave p rogram s.
Corp oration s sh ou ld regard learn in g leav e p eriod s as bein g p art of w orkin g h ou rs, an d establish a p rop er bu d get, assist a learn in g cu ltu re w ith in in d ivid u al organ ization s, d evelop v ariou s p rogram s as w ell as assu re th e availability of p art-tim e em p loyees.
In d ivid u al em p loyees sh ou ld p articip ate, by d evelop in g p lan s for learn in g leav es th rou gh career cou n selin g an d m ake th e n ecessary p rep aration s by establish in g th eir ow n career goals an d takin g p art in career d ev elop m en t p rojects. Th rou gh im p rovem en ts to p rofession al cou n selin g skills p rovid ed in th e lifelon g learn in g field, im p rovem en ts in ed u cation sh ou ld occu r . Th e d ev elop m en t an d p rovision of efficien t job-related p rogram s resp on d in g to th e d em an d s sh ou ld also be brou gh t abou t in th e ed u cation m arket .
Th e p u blic sector lags beh in d th e p riv ate on e in term s of th e d ev elop m en t of its labor force as w ell as in term s of p erform an ce. H ow ev er, th e p rior h as th e advan tage w ith regard s to access to both qu alified h u m an resou rces an d m on etary su p p ort . Th e p u blic sector can con tribu te to th e exp an sion of learn in g cu ltu re as w ell as take th e lead in in trod u cin g an d sp read in g th e learn in g leav e system th rou gh ou t th e cou n try .
Th e term of learn in g leav e p rogram s for p u blic sector em p loyees sh ou ld be in creased to cov er 10% of th e total w orkin g d ays.
Moreov er, gov ern m en t regu lation s w ith regard s to th e issu e of ad d ition al em p loyees sh ou ld be m ad e less strid en t an d m od ification s to th e service regu lation s for p u blic officials sh ou ld be m ad e to in crease in th e p ersonn el exp en d itu res.
In ad d ition, th e in frastru ctu re for th e learn in g leav e system m u st be establish ed . Th e aw aren ess of th e fact th at em p loyee-orien ted learn in g leave p rogram s, aim ed at d ev elop in g skills in th e p resen t kn ow led ge-based society, w ill con tribu te to th e ev en tu al d ev elop m en t of in d ivid u al w orkp laces in th e lon g ru n, is n ecessary . As su ch, em p loyees sh ou ld be p aid to p articip ate in learn in g leav e p rogram s. Alon g w ith th ese, to h elp m ap ou t em p loyees fu tu re careers an d p lan s for fu tu re learn in g, p rofession al cou n selin g p rogram s sh ou ld be im p lem en ted .
Th e legal an d in stitu tion al m od ification s n eed ed to im p rov e th e learn in g leav e system are th e follow in g.
First, th e term learn in g leav e sh ou ld be exp an d ed to in clu d e both ed u cation an d train in g, an d th e Lifelon g Ed u cation Law sh ou ld be ap p lied to learn ers an d learn in g m aterials n ot adju sted to th e Em p loym en t In su ran ce Law .
Secon d, a legal basis sh ou ld be p rep ared to p u t p u blic officials learn in g leav e p rogram s in to p ractice. Th is legal basis sh ou ld also con tribu te to th e creation of a flexible im p lem en tation p eriod; variou s stu dy m aterials, as w ell as ou tlin e stan d ard s of su p p ort .
Th ird, learn in g leaves sh ou ld be regard ed as an em p loyees' righ t, an d th e righ t to d ecid e an d ch oose sh ou ld be created th rou gh agreem en t betw een both labor an d m an agem en t.
Fou rth, th e m ost efficien t w ay to p u t th ese learn in g leav e p rogram s in to p ractical u se is to ap p rop riately ap p ly th e resu lts learn ed from th ese p rogram s to th e ev alu ation of w orkers skills, job p rom otion s an d p erson n el ch an ges.
Fifth, th e tren d w h ere op p ortu n ities to p articip ate in learn in g leav e p rogram s are p rovid ed on ly to th ose w orkin g for in d u stries in volv ed in cu ttin g ed ge techn ologies, or con glom erates or to w ell-ed u cated em p loyees sh ou ld be ov ercom e. Sep arate p rogram s for sm all an d m ed iu m en terp rises, in d u stries in d eclin e, an d for less-skilled em p loyees sh ou ld be su p p orted th rou gh d irect govern m en t inv olv em en t . Alon g w ith th ose p rogram s, a tax red u ction sh ou ld be p rovid ed to fu rth er su p p ort learn in g leaves.
Sixth, th e m on th ly on e d ay h olid ay system th at is believed to be on its w ay ou t as a resu lt of th e im m in en t im p lem en tation of th e 5 d ay w ork w eek, sh ou ld be rep laced w ith a learn in g leav e system , w h ich w ill give em p loyees tim e to im p rov e th em selv es an d ev en tu ally lead to an in crease in p rod u ctivity .
Th e p u blic fu n d in g system by th e govern m en t, n ecessary for th e learn in g leav e p rogram , n eed s to be establish ed w ith ou t an y relation sh ip to th e existin g Em p loym en t In su ran ce p rogram . Th e gov ern m en t sh ou ld alter its p resen t d irection, ch an gin g it for a system w h ere fin an cial su p p ort is p rovid ed d irectly to th e em p loyees an d th e latter h ave exp an d ed th e righ ts to ch oose th e form s of learn in g leav e. In th is p ersp ectiv e, an in d ivid u al learn in g accou n t system sh ou ld be in trod u ced to h elp im p lem en t a learn er-cen tered learn in g leav e system .