Korea widens recognition of pre-degree work experience for youth job credentials

The Ministry of Gender Equality and Family said Tuesday that practical work experience gained before a person earns a degree or certificate will now count toward qualification requirements under four presidential decrees, widening the path for young people seeking work.

The change covers the enforcement decree of the Act on Support for Out-of-School Youth, under which the ministry sets staffing standards for youth support centers. When calculating the practical experience of a person who holds the relevant degree or certificate, centers may now include work performed before that degree or certificate was obtained, or before a person's academic background was recognized. The same principle applies to other credentials listed in the decree, including counseling and administrative work at youth facilities.

The revision follows a review by the Ministry of Government Legislation, which collected ideas from young people through the national policy suggestion platform in January and noted that experience gained before earning a degree or certificate was often not properly recognized. The ministry confirmed the tasks with the relevant ministries, including the Ministry of Health and Welfare, and carried out the legislative process.

"With this legislative revision, the experience young people build in the field will be evaluated reasonably, without being blocked by formal criteria," said Cho Won-chul, minister of government legislation.

The revision took effect on the day it was published, Nov. 3, as Presidential Decree No. 36800. The four amended laws and four amended enforcement decrees were approved at a Cabinet meeting on Oct. 27, according to the ministry. The package also included amendments to four laws, among them the Debtor Rehabilitation and Bankruptcy Act.

The revision extends the same recognition to roles governed by the enforcement decree of the Framework Act on the Status and Service of Military Personnel, which is among the four decrees amended.