Efforts at Building Lifelong Learning System for Individuals
The development of lifelong learning in Korea is promoted through the lifelong education system of the Ministry of Education & Human Resources Development (MOE & HRD), and the vocational competency development
programs of the Ministry of Labor (MOLAB). The lifelong education system of the MOE & HRD is focused on recognition of credits and educational qualifications, while the MOLAB’s vocational competency development programs are concerned with training for adult workers, training to support employment transitions, training for the unemployed and training for underprivileged groups.
The main lifelong education programs run by the MOE & HRD include credit bank system, lifelong education centers, broadcast and correspondence universities, and distance learning universities. Apart from formal courses offered by colleges, the credit bank system also recognizes the courses completed at approved academic institutions and the credits earned can be used in transferring between colleges or earning collegial degrees. Recently, the nationally recognized private qualifications are also beginning to be acknowledged as credits through the credit bank system. So this system is contributing to the growth of non-formal education in Korea.
Lifelong education centers are not regular education institutions as such, but, rather, they are educational institutions entitled to give recognition for the completion of their approved courses. They provide opportunities for lifelong learning to young people and adults who, for whatever reason, have been deprived of the chance to complete their education.
The broadcast and correspondence university is an educational institution that offers degree programs to those seeking education by taking advantage of ICT through broadcasting and the Internet. Along with the broadcast and correspondence university and high schools, there are 15 bachelor’s degree programs and 2 junior college diplomas offered by distance learning universities.
In addition, every year the MOE & HRD holds a lifelong learning festival to facilitate the transition to a lifelong learning society and the ministry is expanding its program to create lifelong learning cities. Also, it is developing programs to provide lifelong learning opportunities to the underprivileged groups, such as senior citizens and less educated adults.
As of 2004 there were 39 lifelong learning centers at secondary education level with 27,000 students; 39 broadcasting & communication high schools with 13,000 students; 17 distance learning universities with 20,000 participants, 1 in-house college with 100 students, 1 technical college with 200 students, and 24 polytechnic colleges with 18,000 students. In addition, the broadcast and correspondence university is estimated to have around
200,000 students, while there are around 65,000 participants in the credit bank system and a further 43,000 taking part in the self-study degree system. There are also another 343 lifelong learning centers attached to the universities of higher education, an estimate of 66,000 private academies, and other various cultural centers. While there are an enormously large number of potential recipients of lifelong education: the employed (21 million), the unemployed (78,000), illiterate persons (2 million) and the aged (3.39 million), the actual beneficiaries of lifelong education are extremely small in number. The MOE
& HRD’s year 2004 budget for lifelong education accounted for only 0.04 % of the total education budget, or 9.9 billion won of 22,0307 billon won.
The Ministry of Labor deals with workers’ vocational competency development policy and the related projects in Korea. The Vocational Training Promotion Act enacted in 1999 provided the impetus for the expansion of adult lifelong education. The legislation was significant in that it shifted the focus of the state-led vocational training policy from formation of skilled manpower to a more flexible private sector-driven training policy for all workers, including the employed, the unemployed and undereducated youth. However, its effectiveness was continuously questioned, so the legislation was eventually revised and renamed as ‘Workers’ Vocational Competency Development Act’ in December 2004.
The main purposes of the Act, which came into effect in July 2005, are as follows: first, with the advent of a knowledge-based economy and a lifelong learning society, it aims to proactively meet industry manpower needs by supporting various vocational competency development projects, including employers’ vocational competency development training initiatives and workers’ efforts in self-initiated vocational competency development; second, it is aimed at promoting employment stability among workers in the disadvantaged groups through reinforced support for vocational competency development for daily workers, part-time workers, temporary workers and workers in small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The revised Workers’ Vocational Competency Development Act provides that the suggestions or comments by employer groups and labor groups are taken into account when the Ministry of Labor is formulating the national vocational competency development strategy, and that favorable treatment be given to workplace training under a joint agreement between employer and labor representatives and this aims to build a vocational competency development system, in which both labor and managementparticipate. The
legislation also specifies that favorable treatment be given to those SMEs carrying out vocational competency development training for their employees.
As shown in <Table 8-1>, the Ministry of Labor outlaid 742.6 billion won on vocational competency development programs for 1,973,000 persons in 2003: a greater number of the employed (1,748 persons) participated in those programs, but the largest portion of the budget was spent on training for the unemployed.
<Table 8-1> Expenditure on Vocational Competency Development (as of 2003) (Unit: thousand persons, billion Korean won)
Training Person Budget
Total 1,973 742.6
Training for the unemployed 152 289.8 Training for the employed 1,725 255.4
Training for technicians 38 234.4
Lifelong Learning Company, a New Paradigm in Corporate Management There are many companies making keen efforts to build in-house lifelong learning systems. One most exemplary case is that of Yuhan Kimberley, which created a lifelong learning system of 4-team-2-shift system. Following the experience of management crisis and serious labor conflict in the early 90s, the company came to recognize the critical importance of human resources development and management founded on mutual understanding and trust between labor and management. Yuhan Kimberly developed a lifelong learning system based on an innovative work arrangement of 4 teams working in a 2-shift system, and successfully transformed itself into an internationally competitive company.
By operating lifelong learning system, Yuhan Kimberly is practicing and supporting lifelong learning to help workers turn themselves into knowledge workers. The model of lifelong learning teams covers all business units (except administrative support), and comprises of 4 teams, two of which work for 12 hours while the other two take a rest or receive education. Employees work during the night for 4 days, have 3 rest days, and 1 education day before working 4-day shifts and taking 4 rest days to complete a 16-day cycle. The company provides optional education during one day of the 8 days off with pay, and employees can choose between rest
and education for the remaining 3 days of education.
This lifelong learning team model can be considered simply as a form of work sharing, but the key feature of Yuhan Kimberly’s model is that it has significantly expanded learning opportunity for all employees. Based on this lifelong learning model, the company is investing substantially in learning, as 300-350 hours of Off-JT (Off-the-job training) on average per annum is achieved. And if include OJT (On-the-job training), the total number of education and training hours will exceed 500 hours per annum.
<Figure 8-1> Lifelong Learning Team Model at Yuhan Kimberly (4-team-2-shift system)
<Figure 8-2> An Example of Work Schedule between Sept 13th and 30th, 2003 at Yuhan Kimberly, Inc.
Sep. 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30
Shift Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun Mon Tue
A H H H H T H H H
B H H H T H H H H H H
C T H H H H H H H
D H H H H H H H T H H
Work at night for 4 days (12hours/day)
Rest 3 days+1 day For education
Work at day for 4 days (12hours/day) Rest 4 days
a cycle of 16 days
H
T
: work at day (07:00~19:00)
: work at night (19:00~07:00) : training : off-duty
In-house lifelong learning programs are growing, as they prove to be beneficial for companies all-round. From a company’s perspective, such a system creates employment and promotes employment stability. Also, there is a noticeable improvement in labor productivity. Work processes are being enhanced by employees, who have turned into knowledge workers from participating in lifelong learning programs, and the wage level of individual workers is increasing. Above all, workers are able to achieve the balance between work and rest, and between workplace and family life. Improved corporate results are fed back into the employee welfare system, which has been improved to accommodate varying employee needs. The previously unstable labor-management relationship has been replaced with the most stable relationship with the build-up of trust.
Furthermore, the general corporate performance has improved due to increased employee loyalty and commitment. Yuhan Kimberly has become the best performer among Kimberly Clark Group’s overseas joint ventures, and is now responsible for managing the Group’s other Asian businesses. A lifelong learning system has revolutionized the company and it is having a spillover effect on other companies and even society as a whole.
The impact of a lifelong learning system is not limited to a corporate level. From a socioeconomic perspective, the shift-work system incorporated in the lifelong learning system is regarded as the most effective measure for job creation, which is one of the biggest challenges facing Korea. Also, lifelong learning is acting as a driving force of enhancing innovative competencies of the whole society by transforming passive workers into active knowledge workers. In this way, companies are able to serve and fulfill their social responsibility for generating jobs and growth.
Building a lifelong learning system, as started by Yuhan Kimberly, is spreading fast as a new corporate paradigm to other companies. For instance, Kookmin Bank, POSCO, Korea Electric Power Corporation, KOTRA, Korea Agriculture & Rural Infrastructure Corporation and Hankook Tire are already actively participating in the movement to a new paradigm, and more recently small- and medium-sized companies like Pulmuone and even dental clinics are beginning to follow suit. Considerable success is being achieved in terms of employment and other measures of corporate performance even among the companies that have embraced the new corporate paradigm relatively late. The trend is that the new paradigm is spreading to the public
and civil service sectors, including police departments, public museums, and art galleries.
The new corporate paradigm, which was quickened in a civic movement-like new paradigm forum, is now gradually expanding to society at large. In light of this, the government has established the ‘New Paradigm Center’ within the Korea Labor Institute, a government-funded research institute, and the ‘Presidential Commission on People-Centered Competitive Initiatives’ to support the expansion of the new paradigm. At the start of 2005, a large number of prominent figures in society, sharing the same need to innovate the paradigm in corporate social responsibility, gathered together and expressed their commitment to promote the new paradigm by reaching a social compromise and all this was announced in a social pact,
‘Recommendations for Hope Building 2005’.