Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul) announced that on 5 November, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Seoul Metropolitan Government to participate in the ‘Seoul Young Careers (Young + Career + Experience)’ project, a work-experience support programme for its students.

▲ Overview of Seoul Young Careers (Photo=Seoul Metropolitan Government)

‘Seoul Young Careers’ is an integrated platform initiative by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, providing step-by-step linkage from career exploration to practical experience, internships, and employment for young people. It will commence in 2026 with approximately 6,000 enrolled students and is scheduled to expand to a total of 16,000 students by 2030.

The programme operates through a five-stage career development system: ▲Camp ▲Challenge ▲Internship I ▲Internship II ▲Jump-Up. Notably, the internship stage is linked to the standard field practice semester system, allowing for academic credit recognition of up to 18 credits. The Camp and Challenge programmes are scheduled to commence from the spring semester next year, with the full-scale internship programme also set to roll out sequentially from next spring.

Under the business agreement, Kookmin University's Career Development Support Team (led by Sohn Jin Sik) will perform key roles including operating career and job exploration programmes for current students, supporting corporate-linked internships, facilitating field practice credit recognition, expanding the corporate pool, and establishing employment linkage systems. Building upon the career and employment support capabilities accumulated through the Ministry of Employment and Labour's ‘University Job Plus Center’ initiative, Kookmin University plans to operate ‘Seoul Young Careers’ in partnership with the Seoul Metropolitan Government. This aims to assist students in establishing early career paths and strengthening practical skills during their studies, creating a virtuous cycle where internship experience naturally leads to employment connections.

Although the full operation of ‘Seoul Young Careers’ will commence in 2026, Kookmin University's Career Development Support Team has already initiated preliminary promotional activities. Preparations are being accelerated to encourage greater student interest and participation, with programme briefings conducted during the ‘Career Day’ event hosted by monitor staff on 12 November and the ‘Special Lecture on Personal Statements and Interviews for Field Training Applicants’ on 13 November.