"With work experience, no worries about getting a job!"
[January 20, 2009]
Even in times of difficulty to find a job, students of the Yeungnam University Global Business Project Team has no worries for finding a job. Because they are ready with work experience through industry-academic cooperation, large conglomerates are looking to recruit them.
Yeungnan University GB Project Team has been led by Professor Gi-hyeong Kim of the School of International Economics and Business, started with 17 students in 2003. They were selected in their 2nd semester of the sophomore year and for 2 years until their first semester in their senior year they were trained in trade and English. There are now 40 students in the 5th and 6th teams.
The GB Project Team is different from other clubs that focus simply on improving English skills and acquiring certificates of qualification. They focus on improving industry-academic relations with domestic and foreign companies, while participating in actual projects of local companies in order to get on-hands training.
There were a total of 60 projects that the GB Project Team worked on with companies for the past 3 years. Roughly, they are involved in 20 projects per year. The types of projects that they take part in are quite diverse. Starting from translating documents, they are also involved with overseas site investigations, contacting and consulting buyers as well as other complex trade work such as finalizing patent contracts. Results of such projects are highly praised by the companies as well.
According to Professor Gi-hyeon Kim(50), the reason why they focus on practical work experience is because, "after speaking with HR representatives from companies, I learned that they prefer applicants with work experience and internship experience." He added, "It's obvious that companies will prefer human resources with foreign language abilities and work experience, rather than picking students based on the name of their school."
Such work-experience based education has become a key for opening the door to employment. Students of the GB Project Team have been employed by the companies which their wanted. Of the 80 members of the GB Project Team that have graduated or are expecting to graduate in February, 59 have found employment at companies such as the Korea International Trade Association, Samsung, CJ, STX, Yuhan, Incheon Airport Corporation, Kukmin, Shinhan, Foreign Exchange, Hana, Daegu Banks and Nonghyup, for a whopping employment rate of 73.8%.
Jang Sung-hwan (26, School of International Economics and Business, senior), who is expecting to graduate in February, has been picked up by Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance and went to the company orientation. Even in the worse of times for employment, he had worries, though they were joyful worries. The regional largest automobile parts company accepted his application at the end of last year and a interrelated company of SK Group also asked him to come in for a final interview, but he chose to stay with Hyundai Marine & Fire Insurance. He chose the company because having to meet many different people and taking on new challenges fit his personality. He stated, "I got the opportunity to utilize what I learned because of the work experience with the GB Project Team" and he also added, "Since I got the job I wanted, I will work even harder in order to live up to the honor of the GB Project Team."
