11 Vocational High School Students from Jeju Head to Sydney for Month-Long Overseas Internship

【Financial News Jeju = Jeong Yong-bok】 Eleven vocational high school students from Jeju will spend a month in Sydney, Australia, learning practical skills related to their majors and experiencing overseas work environments. The program builds on a cooperative framework established last year by the Jeju education office and Australian vocational education institutions, with a focus on linking overseas field learning to students’ career choices and stronger employment prospects.
According to the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education on the 11th, 11 vocational high school students selected for the overseas internship will take part in field learning at TAFE, a vocational education institution in Sydney, Australia, from the 22nd through November 21.
TAFE (Technical and Further Education) is Australia’s public vocational education system, providing training in the skills and practical abilities needed in the workplace. TAFE NSW, which is partnering on this program, is a public vocational education institution operated by the New South Wales state government.
Unlike conventional university education, it focuses on teaching the skills and knowledge needed for jobs in specific industries through hands-on training. It offers courses that reflect industry demand in a range of fields, including information and communications technology, business, tourism and services, construction, and automotive studies.
The Jeju students will gain practical experience related to their majors there, while improving their foreign-language communication skills and understanding of local workplace culture.
This overseas internship continues the Jeju education office’s global field-learning initiative for vocational high school students. Under the Jeju Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education Ordinance on the Promotion of Global Field Learning, the office has operated an overseas internship program for vocational high school students since 2011. The aim is to give local students opportunities for overseas vocational training and cultural exchange, and to develop technical and skilled talent with the capabilities to work internationally.
In particular, last November the office signed a memorandum of understanding with TAFE NSW to operate overseas internships for vocational high school students. The agreement included establishing a framework for cooperation on international language and vocational training, as well as support for overseas training programs for teachers and other education staff.
On the same day, it also signed an agreement with the Sydney Korean Association to support the overseas internship program. This established a foundation for the students’ overseas field learning through cooperation between an educational institution and the local Korean community.
Since June, a program linking domestic pre-departure training with overseas field learning has been underway for this year’s 11 participants. The plan is to connect preparations before departure with training on site, helping students apply their skills in their chosen fields even in unfamiliar surroundings.

On the 7th, the Jeju education office held the 2026 overseas internship send-off ceremony for vocational high school students in Conference Room 5, with Jeju Superintendent of Education Go Ui-suk, 11 participating students, guardians, and teachers in attendance.
At the send-off ceremony, the office provided information on the field-learning schedule, educational activities, and safety guidelines for daily life abroad. It also held a question-and-answer session for students and guardians to share preparations and points to keep in mind during their stay overseas.
The overseas internship is significant because it allows students to apply knowledge from their studies in a vocational education setting in another country. In regions such as Jeju, where local industries and employment options may be limited, overseas vocational training can help broaden students’ horizons as they explore career paths.
To turn overseas educational experience into concrete career outcomes, it is important to assess how well the instruction in each major aligns with field training and how much students’ job skills improve, and to follow up with career guidance and employment support after they return.
Strengthening the employment prospects of vocational high school students is a key education priority nationwide. According to the 2025 employment statistics for vocational high school graduates released by the Ministry of Education and the Korean Educational Development Institute, the employment rate among vocational high school graduates nationwide was 55.2%. The employment retention rate 12 months after graduation, measured for the class of 2024, was 68.2%.
The employment retention rate is the proportion of people in work who remain employed after a certain period. It shows that not only whether someone finds a job, but also the ability to keep working and the quality of the job, are important.
For this overseas internship run by the Jeju education office, the key measure of success is expected to be not only whether students complete the local curriculum, but also how they use the skills and experience they gain in their future careers.
At the send-off ceremony, Jeju Superintendent of Education Go Ui-suk said, “I hope you will trust yourselves and take on new learning even in an unfamiliar environment, while building experiences of caring for and cooperating with one another,” adding, “I will support you so that the learning that began in Jeju can reach the world, and that experience can become a solid source of strength as you pursue your dreams.”


[email protected] Jeong Yong-bok Reporter