The government will operate an internship program that places young people in hands-on social welfare roles to help ease staffing shortages in the sector.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare announced April 26 that it will use funds from this year’s supplementary budget to recruit 479 participants for the "Support Project for Auxiliary Care Staff at Social Welfare Facilities."
The program aims to reduce workloads at high-demand care facilities by deploying young staff while giving participants practical on-the-job experience.
Selected youth interns will be assigned to △extended-hours child care facilities (343) △psychiatric care facilities (59) △local elder protection centers (40) △shelters exclusively for older victims of abuse (20) and △independent living support agencies (17).
Interns will perform administrative support tasks such as preparing for meetings, assisting with paperwork, sending messages, and reconciling stipends. Those assigned to extended-hours child care facilities will also help verify that children return home safely.
The program targets young people aged 19 to 34 and will be expanded regionally in some areas. Participants must complete remote job training through the Korea Health and Welfare Human Resources Development Institute before beginning on-site work and will be employed through December. Selected participants will receive a pre-tax monthly salary of ₩2,150,000 (roughly $1,612.50). The hands-on experience gained as interns will be recognized as relevant work experience for future hiring at social welfare facilities.
Lee Se-ran, First Vice Minister of Health and Welfare, said, “This program will provide young people with workplaces where they can prepare for their future and will fill staffing gaps at social welfare facilities as a targeted, people-centered policy.”
Reporter Hanbit Lee hblee@viva100.com
