KT&G (CEO: Baek Bok-in) has established KT&G Indonesia Vocational Training Center at the University of UKCW (Universitas Kristen Cipta Wacana) in Malang, Indonesia, and began offering free technical training on the 10th of last month.

KT&G has started vocational education in earnest to help Indonesia's low-income families stand on their own feet. The vocational training center will provide three-month-long sewing classes for the poorest in the community and for youth in social welfare facilities. The first recruitment drive attracted many people, and 170 applicants were selected from that pool, which is three times more than the initially planned number. The same course will be offered across a total of six rounds by September next year.

Indonesia has one of the world's top 10 textile sewing industries, and it is expected to create jobs under the government's intensive growth plan. Amid massive unemployment and a growing number of underprivileged persons due to the recent Covid-19 crisis, KT&G decided to help citizens learn useful skills and find jobs in order to lay the foundation for self-reliance.

The total cost of the vocational training center is 300 million won, which will be paid from the "Imagination Fund" set up through the voluntary donations of KT&G executives and employees. The "Imagination Fund" is KT&G's unique social contribution fund launched in 2011, and consists of a "matching grant" scheme, by which the company adds the same amount again to all donations made. The annual operation of the fund amounts to approximately 4 billion won.

A KT&G official said, "We hope the establishment of the vocational training center will help strengthen the job competence of the underprivileged in Indonesia and solve the unemployment problem."

Meanwhile, KT&G is actively engaged in social contribution activities in Indonesia to practice its 'Growing with Community' management philosophy. Since 2012, more than 400 KT&G executives and employees have volunteered for overseas social contribution projects, and in 2014, the company established the Korean Language Institute in Jakarta for cultural exchanges between the two countries. In 2017, the company established the "Imagination Univ" in Indonesia, and since then, has been offering programs to strengthen the capabilities of local college students. 

(Photo description) KT&G has established the KT&G Indonesia Vocational Training Center at the University of UKCW (Universitas Kristen Cipta Wacana) in Malang, Indonesia, and began free technical training on the 10th of last month. The photo shows instructors, staff, and trainees taking a group photo in a classroom in the center.

(Photo description) KT&G has established KT&G Indonesia Vocational Training Center at the University of UKCW (Universitas Kristen Cipta Wacana) in Malang, Indonesia, and began free technical training on the 10th of last month. The photo shows trainees participating in practical classroom training in the center.