Korea's labor education institute marks 36 years with '2.0' overhaul

The Korea Labor Education Institute marked its 36th anniversary on Thursday with a pledge to remake itself as a "lifelong labor education hub" that can help workers and employers adapt to artificial intelligence and the digital transition, the labor ministry said.

The institute, headed by President Lee Jong-sun, held the ceremony at its main auditorium with all staff present, and said the "Labor Education 2.0" vision will let it respond preemptively to changes in the workplace.

The institute opened in 1990, founded after a surge in labor disputes from 1987 to prevent conflict and establish a culture of dialogue and cooperation between workers and management. It was folded into the Korea University of Technology and Education as its labor administration training center in 2009, became the Employment and Labor Training Institute in 2011, and relaunched in 2020 as an independent public institution under its own act, taking its current name. Over those 36 years it gradually widened the audience for its courses, training specialists in employment and labor affairs.

A dedicated task force is working out the institute's medium- and long-term direction and core tasks, while eight regional labor education councils across the country identify local demand and strengthen cooperation among relevant agencies. The institute says it wants that network to connect education resources in schools, workplaces and communities, so that instruction continues through every stage of life, from teenagers to serving and retired workers.

The institute has restarted its labor relations expert course after three years and is working to train 100 specialists in lifelong labor education. It is extending regional courses, focused on small and vulnerable workplaces.

"The institute has broadened its role over the past 36 years in line with changes in the employment and labor field," Lee said. "We will continue to change and innovate through 'Labor Education 2.0.'"

He added that the institute would work with partner agencies so that the public can receive labor education throughout their lives.