Our university was selected as an Excellent Youth Dream University through the Youth Dream University Evaluation announced by the Dong-A Ilbo News on November 28.

The Youth Dream University Evaluation is an assessment that is jointly conducted by the Dong-A Ilbo, Ministry of Employment and Labor, Korea Employment Information Service, and other organizations in order to search and award universities that are making great efforts to inspire dreams in youths. Our university received high points across the board in this evaluation that focused on employment competency and other relevant indicators. The evaluation targeted 227 universities with four-year programs nationwide and our university made the list as an Excellent Youth Dream University along with Konkuk University, Korea University, Ewha Womans University, among others.

According to the Dong-A Ilbo News, the 15 universities selected as Excellent Youth Dream University are producing “field operation-type talents” with high combat power in the employment warfare. Our university received high evaluation through exemplary practices such as active entrepreneurship support in connection with the local community, implementation of career development system based on university departments (majors), implementation of full cycle student career management portal system, etc. in line with social demands.

Our university has newly established career curriculum per major in order to alleviate the so called “junior college student symptom (the phenomenon of losing confidence due to the inability to find answers to anxiety about the future, contemplation related to changing major, leave of absence, etc.)” and as a method for fostering talents demanded by the society. For one semester, the curriculum conducts career education that includes introduction of major fields, characteristics per career path, special lecture from experts in the relevant fields, career road map workshop, etc. In addition, career counseling is conducted for students through professors dedicated to career and employment per major and the counseling results are further utilized by being posted on the student career management portal system “SNOWAY.” SNOWAY is a system that provides guidance so that the various curricular/extra-curricular program activities conducted on campus can be databased and used for systematic career development.

Furthermore, centered on Sookmyung Cross Campus, which was opened within the Yongsan Electronics Market this year, there is active support toward entrepreneurship through linking entrepreneurial ideas of students to the industries in the regions near the campus. Through the utilization of the geographical advantage of Yongsan District in Seoul, the Cross Campus implements overall entrepreneurship education from entrepreneurial spirit to the development of actual products and even crowd funding. It is a “university-community win-win strategy” that utilizes the entrepreneurship infrastructure of the Yongsan Electronics Market to discover new industry growth engines and revitalize inactive shopping centers. Through the partnership region “Seoullo 7017,” which is an overpass of Seoul Station, there are efforts to revitalize the local economy such as developing co-brand “eeum” with Seogye-dong Sewing Union.

The officials of Career Development said, “Our university boasts leading employment/entrepreneurship competencies such as proudly making the list as a Leading Career/Employment Support University announced by the Ministry of Employment and Labor in 2017” and “This is all the more meaningful because it is an achievement that overcame the adverse conditions of the current employment market, where youth employment is very difficult, especially for young women.”