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The 'Youth-Friendly Company ESG Support Project,' which debuted last year, is a program where the government provides budget while companies contribute human and material resources to provide job training and work experience to young people. The Ministry of Employment and Labor reviewed projects based on four keywords: expanding opportunities for regional youth, providing work experience in diverse industries, supporting youth preparing to enter society, and reflecting next-generation job trend new platforms. In December last year, the Ministry of Employment and Labor announced outstanding programs and excellent essays from participating students after reviewing the year's projects. The selected 'Remote Internship' provides employment opportunities for regional youth, while 'Hana Social Venture University' provides startup opportunities for regional youth. Additionally, the 'Next-Generation Livestock Leader Academy,' formed by a consortium of six livestock-related companies and organizations, provided students with an opportunity to experience smart livestock farming systems that incorporate IT technology into livestock farming. ◆ Providing Employment Opportunities for Regional Youth According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor on the 2nd, one of the main purposes of the 'Youth-Friendly Company ESG Support Project' is to provide programs that regional youth, who are relatively underserved compared to the metropolitan area, can participate in without physical constraints. The goal is to provide employment and startup opportunities for regional youth. The 'Remote Internship,' one of the outstanding programs selected for the Youth-Friendly Project last year, is an activity that supports workplace experience for regional youth. CJ Olive Networks, Purb, and the Korea Economic Daily formed a consortium to run it. The biggest advantage of the Remote Internship is that it adopted online virtual space (metaverse) and educational platforms in workplace experience, allowing regional youth to receive education without time and space constraints. Thanks to this, about 520 students participated in the program and received training in data utilization, processing, and analysis. Additionally, students learned how to apply the data derived through team projects to actual workplace practice. The Ministry of Employment and Labor said through last year's achievement-sharing conference, 'We highly evaluated Remote Internship's excellent performance with a 92% completion rate among participating students and selected it as an outstanding program. We noted the excellence in issuing in-house CJ certificates after activity evaluation and providing actual internship opportunities to top-performing graduates.' A CJ Olive Networks official told Youth Daily that the Remote Internship had a positive impact on the company as well. 'Employee lectures and mentoring received positive feedback from both students and employees,' the official said. 'It's rare for students to have the opportunity to meet and consult with current practitioners, but through this process, they were able to share employment concerns and receive practical advice, which was great.' They added, 'Employees often said they could hear the voices of young people through mentoring, and thanks to that, both students and employees could participate actively in the program.' ◆ Supporting Youth Startup in Regional Areas The 'Hana Social Venture University,' which was jointly run by Hana Financial Group and Underdogs, also focuses on providing opportunities for regional youth. Hana Social Venture University is a program focused on helping regional youth with startups. Working with regional hub universities, it supported overall startup education, including market analysis and business model development, so that young people aspiring to start businesses could fully develop and concretize their ideas. Additionally, it provided opportunities for students to interact with local entrepreneurs, which would be difficult for them to arrange on their own. A Hana Financial Group official told Youth Daily, 'In an era when regional decline is becoming a concern, we designed the project to revitalize regional economies and build a good regional environment where young people want to live.' They explained the reason for focusing on regional youth. Continuing, 'The reality is that even if they are born and study in their hometowns, they eventually move to Seoul or larger cities for employment. We wanted to help them promote regional social growth by developing startup items suited to regional issues in their hometowns.' For more systematic support, Hana Financial Group and Underdogs continued to provide startup funding and follow-up management even after the program ended. The Ministry of Employment and Labor revealed that it selected Hana Social Venture University as an outstanding project because 'there was active corporate contribution at the corporate level.' With active corporate participation, student satisfaction was also high. A Hana Financial Group official said, 'The program was conducted in person at regional hub universities. Thanks to that, careful education was possible, from how to write business plans, which is the beginning of startup, to in-depth discussions.' They continued, 'Many participating students mentioned that the most satisfying part was being able to receive practical help by meeting face-to-face.' ◆ Cultivating IT Livestock Talent IT technology is rapidly being applied to agriculture and livestock industries. The 'Next-Generation Livestock Leader Academy' is a program designed to present new technology adoption directions to young people dreaming of working in livestock farming in response to these social changes. Six livestock-related companies and organizations—Cargill Agripurina, Maesan Farming Association, Doteul Hando Farming Association, Emtree, Real Farm, and Smart Manufacturing Innovation Association—participated in the program and met with students. Through the program, students received vocational training in smart livestock farming using digital technologies such as the Internet of Things and artificial intelligence, and also spent two weeks working on actual farms. The Ministry of Employment and Labor selected the Next-Generation Livestock Leader Academy as an outstanding case and highly evaluated 'the achievement of all participants completing the program.' Students who participated in the program spoke in unison through essays that they were able to make their vague dreams concrete through this experience. One participant wrote in their essay, 'Although I majored in animal science, I became frustrated by the difficulty of working while utilizing what I studied. Through the encouragement of mentors from participating companies, I was able to think about the future and development direction of livestock farming.' They continued, 'The internship at the calving facility made me reconsider my 'dream of becoming a veterinarian,' which I had only held in my heart.' Another participating student wrote, 'Through the program, I encountered automated equipment for the first time, broadened my perspective on livestock farming, and improved my understanding of farm systems.' They continued, 'In particular, thanks to the vivid pig farming education I received from livestock industry executives, I am now pursuing smart farm livestock farming.'