Overview of Incentive Programs for Reentering Voluntary Returnees(age limit 39)

1. Overview of the program

○ (Inauguration of the Special EPS-TOPIK) Conducting the Special EPS-TOPIK, an additional test available only to voluntary returnees at least once a quarter, to reduce their waiting period.
* Use Computer-based testing centers to hold the additional test on a regular basis
* Qualifications : the test only applies to re-employed foreign workers who voluntarily returned home within their lawful employment period (Applicable to departures after Jan. 1, 2010).

○ (Shortening the reentry period) Separating reentering workers from the newcomers and prioritizing their roster and its verification to shorten the delays in the job registration.

○ (Permission to ask for former employees) Employers are allowed to put a request for their former employees who had previously worked for them for more than a year in an effort to give opportunities for the employees to make continuous use of their acquired skills.

○ (Exemption from preliminary job training) Those requested workers will be given an exemption from preliminary job training, where they are given basic Korean classes, for the purpose of reducing time delays for reentering and their financial burden.

2. Detail plans for special EPS-TOPIK (Overview)

□ Candidate Countries for the Trial Test.

○ Trial tests will be held within this year in Thailand and Vietnam, the countries with a large number of re-hired returning workers and a computer-based testing center. The candidate countries for the additional EPS-TOPIK will be further expanded to other sending countries after reviewing the outcome of the trial tests.

□ Schedules for Conducting the Special EPS-TOPIK

○ Name of the Test : Special EPS-TOPIK for Re-hired Workers.

○ Qualifications for the Test :
- Re-employed foreign workers who voluntarily returned home within their employment period granted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor.
* Only the workers who left Korea (applicable to departures after Jan. 1, 2010) within their lawful employment period are eligible for the trial test.
- Age Requirement : Ages between 18 and 39 (on the closing day of registration)

○ Announcement : Newspaper announcements and postings on the official website of the sending agency in November.

○ Receiving Applications : Verify qualifications for each applicant and manage re-hired workers separately from the newcomers
- (Applicants) Provide information on their voluntary return
- (Sending agency on registration) Check the eligibility of each applicant on the EPS English website and input the information on the website (epstopik.hrdkorea.or.kr).
* A computer program which enables re-hired workers to check their eligibility for the test in advance on the Internet is currently under development, and the information will also be available to the sending agency.

3. Expected Outcomes from the Proposed Incentive Programs

○ Alleviate concerns or worries of the workers regarding reentering and dramatically reduce the delays during the re-entering process.

○ Meet the demand of the industries for the skilled foreign workforce.
⇒ Enhancing job commitment and encouraging voluntary return
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