[vol.3] [Policy Development] Confronting the Need to Expand Job Training for Women
WORKING WOMAN 2008. 1. 30. 15:56
The contents of this presentation will be published in a report entitled, 'The Current State of Women's Job Training and Measures for Expansion.' This article summarizes this report in order to share our research with our broader national and international community.
Job training programs in Korea first began in 1962 under government leadership through the enactment of the First Economic Development Plan. The Plan pointed out quantitative and qualitative imbalances between the labor supply and demand and proposed job training as a means of supplying the labor needed for industrialization.
In accordance with the focus on light industries during this early period of industrialization, job training focused on developing skills required in light industries like textiles or spinning. The training was short-term and focused on developing simple, repetitive skills.
Eventually, this type of training brought about insufficiencies in technical skills training (requiring a minimum of two years training) and created greater problems as the economy grew.
Afterwards, the 0ccupational Training Act was passed in 1967, launching job training as a formal system implemented by the government.
The central OccupationaI Training Center was established in l968, bringing the first public job training facility into existence. In 1974, the Special Law on Occupational Training was enacted, which mandated workplace job training for a number of companies.
In 1982, the Korean Industrial Personnel Management Complex was established and made responsible for the training of technical skills needed for industry, the supervision of the government's technical licensing system, and research on job training. This complex took up the main role in industrial personnel development.
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General characteristics of job training
- Job training can be classified by type of program: public, workplace, and private licensing. Public Job training programs are operated by the government, regional governments, or the Korean Industrial Personnel Management Complex.
These program take up training for skills and job types that are in demand industry-wide and hence difficult for individual companies to train, skills that are needed for export industries, or job types in the newest, high-tech industries.
Workplace training is carried out by individual companies to cultivate skills needed in their particular circumstances ; these companies carry out training either individually or co1lectively based on the size and circumstances of each company. Private licensing programs are registered with the Ministry of Labor and take up training that is difficult for both public and workplace programs to carry out.
These programs are usually run by social welfare centers non-profit organizations or private individuals We can examine the training records of each program type. Between 1967 and 1991. Public training programs have trained 472.574 people, or 30.5 percent of total persons trained. Workplace training has taken up 54.2 percent of training completed in the same period, or a total of 840.966 people.
Finally, public licensing programs have trained 15.3 percent of trainees or 237,601 people. Hence private, non-governmental training, which includes both workplace and private licensing programs, has taken up 7O percent of total training done in this period.
However, the proportion of women trained from l978 to 1991 in all three types of programs totals approximately 20.2 percent. By program type, the respective figures are 4.8 percent for public centers, 26.6 percent for workplace training, and 38.7 percent for private licensing programs. Quantitatively, publicly-run programs hence have the lowest rate of training for women workers.
In terms of types of training, skills acquisition training takes up 87 percent of all training done. Within workplace programs, 40 percent of training in 1992 was for skills acquisition, 37 percent for skills elevation, 22.8 percent for retraining, and O.1 percent for job transfer training. Compared to the respective 23.6 percent figure for 1991, training for skills elevation has expanded greatly. Within public training programs, 95.8 percent of licensing was for skills acquisition in l991. while only 1.2 percent of training was for skills elevation.
Within these licensing programs, women usually participate only in programs for low-ranking skills. Women make up under ten percent of participants in the Iower_1evel licensing track and are concentrated in second_Ieve1 service professions or service assistant jobs.
The total number of women workers receiving government-acknowledged licenses totaled 2,278,625 in 1991, 85.7 percent of whom were concentrated in the second-level technician category. Only 4.O percent were licensed as first-level technicians, 1.12 percent as technica1 engineers. Women workers receiving these licenses only total 13.2 percent of the entire women's labor force.
- Characteristics of job training by program type
- Public job training
- Workplace job training
Workplace Job training is carried out directly by companies either individually or in company cooperatives. Training is offered in six industries: mining, manufacturing, electronics, gas and waterworks, construction, storage/transportation and communications, and service industries like garment mending, dying. and laundromat services.
Training lasts from three months to three years. Beginning in 1992, the Occupational Training Act began to stipulate that companies with over 150 permanent, year-round employees in 1991 (in the construction industry, number adjusted according to 1991 construction record) carry out job training in the workplace. Those companies not complying were fined accordingly.
From 1967, when the Occupational Training Act was enacted, to 1991, workplace programs have trained 840,966 workers. or 54. Z percent of trainees in all program types; these programs have thus contributed most to training workers.
Of the total of 3,417 companies obligated to carry out training in 1992, only 16 percent or 551 companies did so, while the remaining 84 percent decided to pay fines instead. Among the 551 companies carrying out training, only 102 implemented programs for women workers; these programs trained l0,510 women workers, focusing on skills required in 4l job types.
This training, however, was often not carried out every year, but rather intermittently depending on the circumstances of the company. What is more, these companies, rather than carrying out training that is actually in need in the workplace, tend only to implement nominal training to fulfill legal requirements; the content of training is hence lacking and often unusable.
- Private licensing programs
The role of private licensing can be divided into two parts. In terms of main labor force training, these programs have concentrated on newly entering labor and short-term, 1ow-1eve1 training. This training has also played a socia1 service role through occupational training for juvenile delinquents social welfare recipients, the extreme poor, and the handicapped.
Unti1 1991, these programs trained 15 percent of all trainees; this percentage is expected to rise to 25 percent in the future.
Among the lO7 private licensing centers recorded in I99l, 78 centers provided training for 3,643 women workers, a total of 39. 8 percent of all trainees licensed by private programs. Among the various types of private licensing programs, individually-run centers take up the 1argest proportion of training.
- Other skills training centers for women
Recently, the government constructed plans to fund short-term job training programs for low-income women with inadequate opportunities to develop occupational skills through the formal educational system or public job training facilities.
These programs will be implemented by the YMCA through its educationa1 programming or its Women's Home, and will focus on training for basic skills like wallpapering, skin and hair treatment, typing, and machine-making.
Centers for working women are already established in Seou1. Busan, and Kwan-ju, and 15 more are scheduled to be built between 1993 and 1997.
The Women's Skills Training Center will focus on short-term training lasting from three days to six months, providing training in such service occupations as housekeeping, makeup, childcare, and laundromat services
Public training programs have been responsible for about 30. 5 percent of all training since 1967. Among these trainees. only five percent have been women. These programs are nevertheless important for women as they provide training in skills and licensing that are in high demand in industries. These skills include such techniques as metal formation, machine construction, welding, jewelry manufacturing, and dying that are important in export industries, as well as more modern. high-tech skills.
Most of the public training concentrate on ski1ls acquisitions training. This holds true for workplace and private licensing centers as weI1. Seventy-seven percent of public training is for skills acquisition, while only 23 percent concentrates on skills elevation. Most skills acquisition training lasts only six months to a year.
- Problems with current women's job training and strategies for expansion
Problems with job training currently offered to women workers are numerous. First, women's training opportunities are quantitatively very lacking. According to 1990 statistics, the percentage of women trainees in all programs is 20. Z percent; in private licensing programs, 39. 8 percent; and in public training programs, 6. 8 percent.
Secondly, existing training is too heavily focused on skills acquisition train- ing (87 percent of tota1). Third, training concentrates only on occupations traditionally considered 'women's work.' Fourth, women are excluded from training in technical skills. In 1991, women only constituted 7. 9 percent of trainees in public training centers involved in multi-skills development programs, which require at least two years of training and which have 15 percent rate of acceptance in licensing exams.
Recently, the government announced the so called 'new personnel policies' designed to support technological development for international competitiveness and to foster, develop, and supervise medium and high-1evel technica1 skills in the production line.
However, the portions of the policy plan regarding women state that 'for a productive redistribution of personne1, the reserve labor force must replace the shortage in simple production tasks. Job opportunities for mothers, funding for childcare facilities, and the activation of the part-time and home-based work systems must be supported, and a Home-based Labor Law enacted to protect the working conditions for workers. Simple production tasks within the company must be taken up by mothers, the aged, and the handicapped" ('Labor', January l994). Women are hence not intended to be the main focus of these new personnel policies, but rather seen only as a labor force to replace the shortage in unstable simple employment.
In order to expand job opportunities for women, we must not accept the current government view of women's labor simply as a replacement for labor shortages.
The various forms of gender discrimination in employment must also be eliminated for women to play an active role in industrial society. In order for this to occur, comprehensive plans for women's personnel development and job training must be drafted, plans which concretely select the women needing training ; propose improvements in the educational system, job training system, and in women's employment promotion ; work to eliminate discrimination at the time of hiring; and institutionalize women's welfare facilities and systems.
In addition, a women's quota system must be instituted in all job training centers and active information and incentive campaigns fostered to recruit women trainees.
Moreover, such centers as the Ansung Women's Job Training Center, which have shown positive results and are in high demand among women, must be established. Women's job training curricula in these centers must also be improved to include not just skills acquisition, but also skills elevation training. Training shou1d also move from its focus on female-dominated occupations to male-dominated ones inHigh-tech and heavy chemical industries.
Lastly, despite the fact that most industries with high concentrations of women workers are classified as declining industries, resulting in numerous job losses among women, almost no training for job transfers or reemployment has proceeded thusfar Such training is urgently needed for these women. especially married working mothers.
In addition, a women's job counseling center must be established nationally in order to create a link between job training and job information systems. Finally, an official responsible for women's employment and training issues must be included in the Job Training 1iberative Committee, currently consisting of labor, management, and government representatives, so that constant efforts to revise and implement government policies can be continued