In spite of its continuous increase of higher educated Korean women, the economic activity participation rate is very low when compares in advanced nation. Besides, in case of higher educated married woman, it shows a ‘L-shape’ which means higher ...
In spite of its continuous increase of higher educated Korean women, the economic activity participation rate is very low when compares in advanced nation. Besides, in case of higher educated married woman, it shows a ‘L-shape’ which means higher educated married women rarely reenter the labor market in our society. Due to this matter, it is heavy loss of individual dimension as well as national dimension, and reemployment training for a woman who has higher education background is becoming most urgent necessity.
Due to changes of social activities and change in professional consciousness, married women are desiring their reemployed, but, compared to their educational demand, most of existing reemployment and education programs are focused on low wage, unskilled labor, contingent works and female dominated jobs. The uniform, imitative and impersonal education and service is not supporting higher education married women’s reemployment.
In this regard, this research is based on a consideration of married women as valuable human resources in the knowledge based society, and aimed to analyze relevent regulation, to survey the current state of reemployment system at organizations in charge of reemployment education for women, to identify problems in reemployment training for higher education women with career interruption, and to make suggestions so that reemployment training may be learner centered lifelong education promoting married women’s participation in economic activities.
For these purposes, we have used a several research methods such as review of domestic and foreign literature regards to these problems, internet web search, in depth interviews, and analysis with cases in developed countries. Based on the results of this study, we made national level and organization level policy measures as follow for improving reemployment training, ultimately for enhancing satisfaction with education, and employment rate in higher education women with career interruption.
First of all, the national leveling policy measures for higher educated background career discontinuation woman reemployment education program will be, reflecting the characteristics of the target group of higher educated married women’s reemployment should be promoted through sufficient financial supports, integrated administrative support system, and exemplary projects.
Second, latest vocational skills should be provided for learners to overcome the gap coming from career interruption, to adjust, develop and change themselves for professional jobs and to return to career life smoothly.
Third, systematic and integrated education system should be developed so that married women can be reemployed in professional jobs. For this, integrated professional job education system is required that guarantees the specialty and quality of educational service through employment support system of one-stop type, field training, connection to specialist certificates, organic network with other institutions, etc.
As for organization leveling policy measures for reemployment training for higher educated women with career interruption, suggestions can be made for primary and secondary elements determining the quality of education. For improving primary elements, first, each organization must set its philosophy and specific goals suitable for given situation. In addition, individual programs should define their goals for the learners’ adjustment, development and returning to career life in consideration of the learning characteristic and educational demands of higher education women with career interruption as well as demands from the industry of the community.
Second, staged and specialized professional job training is required. Preparatory basic courses should teach the basics of special subjects for the supplementation of basic vocational skills, recurrent, professional consciousness, adjustment to social life, job transition, etc. Advanced courses should include exploration of various specialized job categories and specialized programs in consideration of demands from the community industry, vocational skill training based on latest job information, programs for developing problem-solving abilities, etc. and subsequent courses should include job application skills. In particular, it is urgent to develop and apply programs for professional jobs in various areas for higher educated married women to maintain their career life and improve advanced vocational skills.
Third, it is necessary to introduce various learner centered education methods as well as efficient operation. In particular, teachers and lecturers should understand the characteristics of married women and help them adjust themselves to learning and keep up learning continuously. Considering learners’ interruption in learning, they should relax learners’ tension, strengthen their concentration and stimulate their confidence. They should use appropriate teaching methods and make permissive atmosphere in the learning situation. Moreover, they should enhance learners’ self-direction. What is more, the quality of education service should be improved through individualized learning plans, diverse and rich learning tools, mentoring and coaching, full utilization of learners’ prior knowledge, block learning by level and by stage, intensive field practice, operation of lab venture, distance education, deployment of specialists in education for women, etc.
Fourth, an exhaustive assessment system should be established to confirm learners’ improvement in vocational skills, to improve their satisfaction in learning and, ultimately, to improve the quality of education.
For improving secondary elements that determines the quality of education, first, the reemployment of higher educated married women should be guaranteed through one-stop type employment service, and follow-up support and network should be strengthened for continuous employment.
Second, administrative-financial supports should be strengthened so that education service providers can concentrate on the principles of education. The quality of education service should be improved by expanding education and childcare facilities, and educational expenses should be supported so that married women can study in stable environment.
Most of all, the government must change is human resource policies related to married women. Existing policies drive them into ancillary labor or unskilled service works without considering their high academic qualification and this discourages them from re-entering into the labor market. The government must view women as essential high-quality human resources and provide appropriate advanced education services so that married women can be settled as professional manpower in the knowledge-information society.