Event Details

Traditionally, university has been seen as a source of social mobility in South Korea. Its students rank among the top performers in mathematics, science and reading literacy, according to the OECD's Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Yet despite the country's highly educated labour force, young Koreans are growing disgruntled with low starting salaries and insufficiently attractive job opportunities. For a country with a youth divided from the older generation around politics - especially evident at the last presidential election - a bleak outlook in the labour market is an ominous portent.


At this event we will discuss if something has gone wrong with the education system in Korea or if the problem sits with the job market. Will the current state of affairs result in a national re-evaluation of the importance of a university degree, or spur a further brain drain? And how are businesses impacted by the current conditions faced by young professionals?


We will bring together educators to comment on what they are witnessing first-hand in university classrooms, as well as representatives from some of the top companies in Seoul to discuss how businesses can contribute to preparing professionals beyond traditional education with in-house remedial training.

Venue

Conrad Seoul, Studio 5 (Level 6)

10 Gukjegeumyung-ro, Yeongdeungpo-gu,
Seoul, Korea (South)

If you have any questions please contact EICN North Asia

Contact Organizer

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Agenda

7:30 AM - 8:00 AM
Registration and Networking
8:00 AM - 9:15 AM
Discussion

Speakers

  • Jason Hayter (Head of School at Dwight School Seoul)

    Jason Hayter

    Head of School at Dwight School Seoul

    Jason Hayter is the Head of School at Dwight Seoul, the first IB continuum school in Seoul selected by the Seoul Municipal government to open a model IB World School. As Head of School, he is ultimately responsible for the academic performance and success of Dwight students and professional development of faculty and staff at the school.

    Jason is a lifelong education professional with 22 years of experience that started with teaching high school mathematics and science. He naturally pivoted to leadership responsibility as principal at a middle school and high school in Toronto, Canada. Jason’s leadership abilities took him on a journey in international education to Colombia, Morocco, and South Korea. His expertise in organizational management and capacity building has been applied in his championing of mentorship programs and leadership certification programs, helping to develop teachers, principals, and educational leaders all over the world.

    Originally from Toronto, Canada, Jason holds a BA in Economics from the University of Waterloo, and a Master of Education from Griffith University in Australia.

    Dwight School Seoul is part of the Global Network of Schools in New York, London, Shanghai, Dubai, Online Global, and Hanoi (opening in 2023).

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  • Kenneth Hwang (Representative Director of Mercer Korea Co., Ltd.)

    Kenneth Hwang

    Representative Director of Mercer Korea Co., Ltd.

    Kenneth has been an invaluable contributor to Mercer throughout 20 years of his career. He is in charge of Career business, with stud financial background, previously led Mercer’s Retirement business from 2012 - 2015 and also led M&A projects. Currently, Kenneth continues to be active in the Wealth and Retirement industry proved with 2019 commendation from the Chairman of the Financial Services Commission for advisory in retirement investment policy/regulation. He also has served as an advisor for various Ministry of Employment & Labor committees and the Retirement Service Providers Evaluation Committee of Korea Daily Economy.
    Prior to joining Mercer Korea, he worked as a pension consultant in Mercer New York.

    Education: He holds Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Mathematics from State University of New York at Albany.

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  • Robert Matz (Campus Dean at George Mason University, Korea)

    Robert Matz

    Campus Dean at George Mason University, Korea

    Robert Matz (PhD, Johns Hopkins University, 1993; BA, Cornell University, 1986) is a professor of English and campus dean of George Mason University, Korea. His field is Renaissance Literature. He has published essays on Shakespeare and on Renaissance poetry and poetic theory, as well as two books, Defending Literature in Early Modern England: Renaissance Literary Theory in Social Context (Cambridge UP, 2000) and The World of Shakespeare's Sonnets: An Introduction (McFarland, 2008), which was selected as a 2008 Choice Outstanding Academic Title. His edition of two early modern marriage sermons was published in 2016. He has served on the Executive Committee of the Association of Departments of English (ADE) and on the Executive Committee of the Folger Institute. Matz teaches courses on sixteenth and seventeenth-century English literature, and on Renaissance drama, including Shakespeare.

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  • Jacco Zwetsloot (Network Moderator, Seoul at Economist Intelligence Corporate Network)

    Jacco Zwetsloot

    Network Moderator, Seoul at Economist Intelligence Corporate Network

    Jacco Zwetsloot has lived in Korea for 20 of the last 25 years, with a broad range of work experience in the communication, legal, tourism, training and broadcasting sectors. He has worked as an English teacher, a tour guide for the US military, a regular radio show guest, and a translator of North Korean propaganda. Currently, Jacco works as a content creator for a communications consultancy Insight Communications Consultants, hosts a weekly podcast about North Korea, moderates panel discussions, writes a monthly Korean newspaper column and still leads occasional lunchtime walking tours in downtown Seoul for the Royal Asiatic Society Business & Culture Club. Jacco holds a Master of Arts degree in Korean Studies from Leiden University, a Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from Monash University and a separate Bachelor of Arts in Modern European Studies and German Language from the University of Melbourne.

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