KT&G Kicks off 6th Cohort of ‘Vocational Training Center’, Supporting the Underprivileged and Local Community

Contributing to the community by offering free sewing technology training Number of applicants increasing every cohort…Over 200 cumulative beneficiaries

SEOUL, South Korea, July 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — KT&G, a global company headquartered in South Korea, is operating a ‘Vocational Training Center’ in Malang to support economic independence of the underprivileged. As it is making a great contribution to the local community, ‘KT&G Vocational Training Center’ is receiving a great response from the community.

The 5th cohort of sewing technology training offered at the ‘Vocational Training Center’ successfully ended in June. Hot off the heels of its successful 5th cohort, ‘KT&G Vocational Training Center’ immediately started recruiting for the 6th cohort. More than 390 applicants registered for the 6th cohort, which is about 80% increase compared to that of previous cohort, proving the popularity of the ‘Vocational Training Center’.

‘Vocational Training Center’ Cohort 6 Begins…Developing Job Competency and Self-reliance of the Underprivileged

KT&G opened its ‘Vocational Training Center’ at UKCW University in Malang in March 2021, and began offering free sewing technology training to the underprivileged since then. This was to make contributions to the local community by helping the underprivileged develop job competencies and become self-reliant.

Indonesia has one of the world’s 10 largest textile and sewing industry, and there is an expectation for job creation in the textile and sewing industry according to the government’s intensive development plan. In response, KT&G has started vocational education in earnest to help the underprivileged learn the sewing technique, which is at the high-demand skill in the job market, without worrying about the cost. 

The training takes place over three months and covers everything from sewing theory to actual practice. At the end of the course, students present at least one of their completed works at the graduation ceremony. The works range from school uniforms for their children to everyday wear. Last year, when there was a shortage of masks due to the COVID-19 pandemic, students made hand-made masks for their own and their family using the sewing techniques they learned at the center. A participant who completed the 5th cohort at the ‘Vocational Training Center’ sold a dress she made during the three-month training period, and purchased a sewing machine with the profit from the dress. Ultimately, she gained economic independence, using the sewing machine as the foundation.

‘KT&G Indonesia Vocational Training Center’ launched the 6th cohort of the sewing technology training on July 4th. Word-of-mouth spread in the local community and the popularity of the sewing technology training has increased. In fact, the number of applicants, which was 216 for the 5th cohort, has increased to 391 for the 6th cohort. As such, local community’s interest towards the ‘Vocational Training Center’ is continuously increasing. For the 7th cohort, the ‘Vocational Training Center’ is planning an in-depth class by selecting students from the previous 1st to 6th cohorts.

A KT&G official said, “As we operate our business site in Indonesia, we’ve been making efforts to continuously communicate with the local communities and to contribute even a little to their development. Moving forward, we will support the economic independence of the underprivileged in Indonesia through various channels in addition to the ‘Vocational Training Center’.”

‘KT&G Sangsang Univ’ Helping the Youths Improve their Employability Skills

KT&G is helping not only the underprivileged but also the youths in Indonesia to improve their vocational competency. In particular, KT&G’s social contribution channel, KT&G Sangsang Univ Indonesia, is offering a variety of free education programs called ‘Class’ for university students. A certain portion of the ‘Class’ is designated for classes related to employment skills, such as interview practices and resume writing, to help the youths improve their employability. All ‘Classes’ are free and open to all Indonesian university students. The latest information on ‘Classes’ can be found on KT&G Sangsang Univ Indonesia’s Instagram (sangsangunivid) and Facebook (Sangsang Univ Indonesia).

Meanwhile, KT&G is the world’s fifth-largest tobacco company by market share and sales volume. It is exporting to over 120 countries. KT&G has made full-fledged entry into Indonesian market in 2011 when it took over Trisakti, the sixth largest Indonesian tobacco company at that time. Then, in February 2013, KT&G established a corporation in charge of distribution and logistics in Indonesia, PT KT&G Indonesia. Since 2016, KT&G has been taking the lead in creating local jobs by employing about 900 new employees every year, with a cumulative total of 4,800 employees in Indonesia.

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