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(1)A Study on How to Help North Koreans Develop Vocational Skills in Preparation for Potential Reunification Head researcher: Kang Il-gyu Tel: 044-415-5075 / email: [email protected]. Summary. This study is aimed at exploring ways to help North Koreans develop vocational skills in preparation for potential reunification with South Korea through comparative case study, and survey. It includes the industrial structure of North Korea, a comparison of vocational skills development and areas of support in North and South Korea, the experiences of South Korea and Germany, survey, and possible directions and options. It also identifies the need to establish a government organization responsible for training services, run employment centers in North Korea, operate career development centers, offer training vouchers, and run training courses for the unemployed. ▸ Keywords: reunification, North Korea, vocational skills development, human resources development, and systems. Ⅰ. Background and Objectives. □ Reunification is a long-held dream of the Korean people, but it requires a number of preparations in all areas of Korean society. - The area of human resources is not an exception, and vocational education and training (VET) and credential systems are very important in that they are connected to other areas of inter-Korean collaboration and exchanges, such as economic cooperation.. □ Supporting North Koreans in developing their vocational skills could lead to a reduction in the costs of reunification, or even substantial economic benefits. - If people of North Korean improves their vocational skills, and become competent enough to land a job and actually earn a stable living within North Korea, the costs of reunification such as those for employment and social welfare would be reduced. - Before and after a potential reunification, South Korean companies are expected to enter the North Korean market. This would create a large demand for labor in North Korea, not only before reunification but also afterward, as we can learn from the experience of running the now-dormant Kaesong Industrial Complex. Economic rebuilding and increased business operations would result in.

(2) the explosive growth in demand for labor in North Korea. - Given these circumstances, it is an extremely urgent matter to build facilities and a relevant system for vocational training targeted at people of North Korean. ◦ However, there has been little research or data collected on how to help North Koreans build vocational skills and develop a credential system, which has the potential to reduce the costs of reunification. - Previous studies have focused on the need for VET and overall policy direction in preparation for reunification. - Building upon this agreement on such a need, studies and concrete plans are needed to develop a system to assist people of North Korean in developing vocational skills satisfying the market demand. - Such support before, during, and after reunification would require adequate preparations now. ◦ Given the importance of such research, the main purpose of this study is to create a concrete way to contribute to the government’s policy of pursuing peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula. - Reunification for peace and prosperity requires preparations in different areas, and one of most important ones is about vocational skills development(VET) including credential systems. - The focus herein is to help create policies aimed at assisting people of North Korean to develop vocational skills that would be required to have a job and stabilize living in a North Korea that has been reunified with South Korea. Ⅱ. Key Research Details 1. Research Details □ The industrial structure of North Korea, a comparison of vocational skills development in North and South Korea, and areas of support - Support for vocational skills development in North Korea should be seen in the context of the country’s industrial development. - Unlike during the 1990s, some industries have made some progress in North Korea. Currently, the main concern of the country under the Kim Jong Eun’s regime is to normalize its industries. - A support on the system should be developed through the comparative study of the job and skills between the South Korea and North Korea. Areas of support include infrastructure and programs for job and skill development, employment services, etc. □ Experiences of South Korea and Germany - The experience of VET of South Korea will be a valuable example for an endeavor to build a system for North Korea in the future. - Currently, there are counsellors who help people of North Korea defectors find a job and make career opportunites in 56 employment centers across the country, and indeed 23 settlement support centers have job counsellers across the nation. - South Korea also has experience in training people of North Korean in the Kaesong Industrial Complex. - South Korea can also learn from Germany’s experience of running their VET system when Germany.

(3) was under the reunification. □ Input from experts - A survey of experts was conducted regarding areas of support in skills development, and a VET support system for North Korean workers during a transition period in order to receive opinion of expert on how to develop a support scheme for skills development in North Korea. - The survey was divided into the three areas of infrastructure, programs, and employment services for North Koreans in a transition period, and the survey asksed questions to experts on this threepronged framework in terms of importance (expectations) and satisfaction levels (current state). - A theoretical review and an FGI were performed to develop this framework and survey questions. □ Overall direction and possible options - Public consensus and support is crucial in developing a system. It requires the continued support and cooperation, since VET has not to do with the policy. The collaboration on the skills development needs approach step by step and the diversity on the specificites of North Korea should be taken into account. - The basic assumption should be the principle of solidarity and complementariness. - The three focus areas of skills development are building infrastructure, managing programs, and providing employment services.. 2. Findings □ Given the specificities of inter-Korean relations, public consensus and support is crucial in pursuing cooperation and exchanges, as is the case in other areas. - is The support based on the principle of solidarity and complementariness needs the consensus - Along with further industrial development in North Korea, a basic system of skills development should deal with three areas; infrastructure development, VET programs, and employment services, which should be broken down into more detailed areas. □ Important experiences - South Korea’s experiences and the current status of economic and skills development need to be considered to build a scheme for vocational education and training for North Koreans. - Experience in helping North Korean defectors could also be used to develop other system targeted at people in North Korea. - Considering the case of Germany,, the infrastructure would be developed in North Korea, before the reunification. - Germany was able to reduce the costs on reunification and implement a various labor policies, because East Germany maintained its production bases. As such, industrial facilities need to be built in North Korea to create a proper system of skills development in the country. □ Key considerations.

(4) - The establishment of a government organization responsible for training services - The creation of employment centers in North Korea - The setting up of career development centers - The introduction of a training voucher system - The expansion of training courses for the unemployed VET System for North Koreans in Preparations for Potential Reunification (Draft) Area. Definition. Elements ∙Enact. and. amend. laws. on. vocational. skills. development ∙Create policies and programs for vocational skills Infrastructure for. Legislative and financial support for development. vocational skills. vocational skills development targeted. development. at North Koreans. ∙Modify credentials and information systems ∙Build a comprehensive information system for vocational skills development ∙Secure the budget for vocational skills development ∙Build facilities for vocational skills development ∙Help secure devices and tools needed for VET programs. Vocational skills development programs. Delivery. of. development. vocational programs. for. skills. ∙Produce teachers and instructors of vocational skills. North. Koreans. ∙Re-train teachers and instructors of vocational skills ∙Develop curricula and materials for vocational skills development ∙Administer and manage credentials ∙Nurture employment service professionals such as counsellors. Employment services. Job counselling and employment support for North Koreans. ∙Connect North Koreans to training courses they need. ∙Provide job placement services.

(5) Ⅲ. Policy Suggestions. □ Establish a committee to deal with cooperation with North Korea in human resources development during a transition period. - Create a Committee on Human Resources Development in North Korea - Set up sub-committees in different areas of cooperation to conduct in-depth research, implement research cooperation, and identify tasks aimed at promoting cooperation □ Set up a cooperation fund for human resources development in North Korea during a transition period - Continued financial contributions need to be made by the government, businesses entering into the North Korean market, relevant organizations, etc. □ Develop basic and implementation plans to help North Koreans develop vocational skills during the process of reunification. □ Present a roadmap for implementing such basic and implementation plans □ Nurture experts to deal with human resources development in North Korea during a transition period □ Create concrete plans for cooperation □ Roadmap A phased roadmap for vocational skills development in North Korea. Dismantlement of. Integration of. Completion of. division. political systems. unification. Building the. Managing. infrastructure on. vocational skills. vocational skills. development. development. programs. Provision of. employment services.

(6) Tasks by phase Phase. Tasks ∙ Enact and amend laws on vocational skills development ∙ Create policies and programs for vocational skills development. Dismantlement of division. ∙ Modify credentials and information systems ∙ Build a comprehensive information system for vocational skills development ∙ Secure the budget for vocational skills development ∙ Build facilities for vocational skills development ∙ Help secure devices and tools needed for VET programs. Integration of political systems. ∙ Produce teachers and instructors of vocational skills ∙ Re-train teachers and instructors of vocational skills ∙ Develop curricula and materials for vocational skills development ∙ Administer and manage credentials ∙ Nurture employment service professionals such as counsellors. Completion of unification. ∙ Connect North Koreans to training courses they need ∙ Provide job placement services. ∙ Relevant agencies: the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Unification.

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