KT said on Oct. 23 it completed the first cohort of its hands-on training programme, the KT K-New Deal Academy, to support young people entering society and held a graduation ceremony.

The KT K-New Deal Academy is a programme that provides young people who are considering their career paths or facing difficulties entering society with a range of job-related experience and practical training. KT designed the curriculum using its expertise in the ICT and AI transformation (AX) fields.

In the first cohort programme that began in July, trainees took part in training and practical projects in the ICT, business and AX fields for about 400 hours over four months. A workplace-adaptation programme was also held, including business communication and work-efficiency training. KT said it supported trainees through visits to group affiliates and coaching by current employees so they could directly experience the corporate work environment and roles, and make their job search direction more specific.

Lee Sun-joo (이선주), an executive director and head of talent at KT, said, "I hope the experience at the KT K-New Deal Academy will be meaningful time for young people to rediscover their potential." He added, "We will support young people so they can build practical competitiveness needed to enter society by using KT's various resources and experience."