LG Electronics is expanding its youth self-reliance support activities through free vocational training in Ethiopia, the only African country that sent ground troops during the Korean War.
On the 9th (local time), LG Electronics announced that the 'LG-KOICA (Korea International Cooperation Agency) Hope Vocational Training School' in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, held its 9th graduation ceremony, attended by 70 graduates, Jung Pil-won, Managing Director of LG Electronics Central Asia, Jung Kang, South Korean Ambassador to Ethiopia, and Tsahle Beresha, Vice Minister of Labor and Skills in Ethiopia.
The LG-KOICA Hope Vocational Training School is a technical training institution established in 2014 through collaboration between LG, KOICA, and the Ethiopian government as a way to repay the only African country that sent troops during the Korean War. It conducts written exams and interviews every year to select students and provides free education in the electrical and electronic and IT fields. It also supports lunch and transportation for students to help them focus more on their studies.
The cumulative number of graduates from the LG-KOICA Hope Vocational Training School has increased to 611. The employment and entrepreneurship rate of LG-KOICA Hope Vocational Training School graduates is 100%. All graduates have entered society by getting jobs in IT companies or starting businesses utilizing the skills they acquired. Among the graduates are employees working for LG Electronics' overseas branches and local corporations located in Dubai, Kenya, and South Africa.
Mahlret Grumai, a graduate this year and granddaughter of Korean War veteran Yelma Tegeña, said, "I am grateful to LG for giving me the opportunity to deeply learn various technologies and knowledge in the IT field," and noted, "I will continue my studies in technology and build a successful career in the IT industry."
Yoon Dae-sik, Senior Vice President of External Cooperation at LG Electronics, said, "As a global corporate citizen, we empathize deeply with the lives of customers living around the world, and will strive to help young people everywhere nurture their dreams and achieve healthy self-reliance."
Meanwhile, LG Electronics has been operating the 'LG-KOICA Hope Vocational Training School' in Cambodia since 2021. It runs specialized training programs related to electronics, electrical, and ICT in three vocational training schools located in three regions of Cambodia, including Phnom Penh and Battambang. LG Electronics supports students at the Cambodia LG-KOICA Hope Vocational Training School to focus on capacity development by providing classroom remodeling, educational equipment, scholarships for outstanding and underprivileged students, and strengthening training for instructors.