The number of vocational high school students going out on work placements falls every year, yet industrial accident claims are rising, new data show. The Kyunghyang Shinmun reported on November 1, citing Education Ministry data, that safety training remains focused on online courses and completion checks.
The Kyunghyang Shinmun reported on November 1, based on data the Education Ministry gave the office of Rep. Kang Kyung-sook, that industrial accident claims by vocational high school trainees are increasing. The number of trainees fell 32.9%, from 25,636 in 2021 to 17,202 last year. Accident claims, however, rose from 6 in 2021 to 14 in 2024.
광고 문의 · 300×250The same article also says claims reached 30 last year, the most since 2016. Its descriptions of the size of the increase are inconsistent, however, and this paper could not confirm the exact multiple or the base year. The figures are claims filed, which may differ from the number of accidents approved as industrial injuries.
Safety Training Mostly Online
Third-year trainees receive three kinds of training: labor-rights and occupational safety education and a special pre-placement course at school, and workplace safety training at the host company. The 13-session labor-rights and safety course is mostly delivered by e-learning, and the special course can be taken online or in person.
Companies must give at least 12 hours of in-person training before placement begins, but there is no system to assess its content or effectiveness. Only the labor-rights and safety course has a pass mark of 60, and for the rest the ministry checks only whether the training was completed. A 2022 curriculum revision added a related subject, but the means of testing real understanding remain weak, critics say.
A 2024 study of 2,442 vocational students found high safety awareness but little practical knowledge, such as safety manuals and compensation procedures. The researchers proposed shifting to hands-on training, and Rep. Kang argued that oversight should go beyond checking completion to verifying that students actually understand the rules.