LG Electronics said on the 19th that it will transfer the curriculum and operational know-how of the LG-KOICA Hope Vocational Training School, which it has run in Ethiopia for more than 10 years, to neighboring Somalia. The school is a free vocational training facility in electricity, electronics, and IT that LG established as a gesture of gratitude to Ethiopia, the only African country that fought in the Korean War.
LG Electronics recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for cooperation on skills training for Somali youth with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) at the LG-KOICA Hope Vocational Training School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) also took part.
LG Electronics will transfer the LG-KOICA Hope Vocational Training School's curriculum and operational know-how to a new vocational training school that UNDP and KOICA are building in Somalia. To pass on operational know-how for the vocational school—including developing curricula and operating manuals, supporting graduate employment, and selecting training tools and test products—it will also provide training for instructors who will work in Somalia and opportunities to benchmark the LG-KOICA Hope Vocational Training School's operating system.
The Ethiopia LG-KOICA Hope Vocational Training School has operated since 2014, offering free education in the electrical, electronics, and IT fields and helping local youth become self-reliant. All 611 of the school's cumulative graduates have entered society through employment or startups.
LG Electronics offers conversion-to-hire internship opportunities at LG Electronics Middle East Africa Service Corporation to outstanding graduates. For students who want to start a business, it also provides practical training and mentoring in law, marketing, and business management through the on-campus startup support center. Recognizing these achievements and efforts, the LG-KOICA Hope Vocational Training School was selected by the Ethiopian government in 2020 as an exemplary case of a vocational training school.
Yang Seung-hwan, head of the LG Electronics Ethiopia branch, said, "By spreading to Somalia the successful experiences gained from operating the LG-KOICA Hope Vocational Training School in Ethiopia for more than 10 years and supporting the self-reliance of African youth, we will fulfill our social responsibility as global corporate citizens."