More than 30 percent of employees in all of the country’s public and quasi-government firms will come from colleges outside the capital city starting next year, the government said Wednesday.
The quota system is part of a set of measures drawn up by the education ministry to provide talent from regional colleges with more chances to land a job, which is expected to give the schools a competitive edge, according to the ministry.
Such a measure comes as lingering social prejudice makes it more difficult for local school graduates to find employment than their counterparts from colleges in Seoul, leading the provincial colleges to suffer financial hardship caused by the reduced number of students enrolled.
In 2011, the employment rate among students from the provincial universities came in at 51 percent, while the national average was 58.5 percent, according to government data.
To induce all public firms and quasi-government agencies to abide by the quota system, the ministry said it will conduct regular monitoring and mount relevant campaigns in cooperation with the finance ministry.
Exploring ways for each school to specialize and reinforce their research capabilities to attract more students, the government also decided to double its financial support for them to 350 billion (US$302 million) won next year, according to the education ministry.
The number of new teachers will also be increased by 150 each year over the next five years and they will be assigned to the regional colleges, it added.
