“Hands-on career experiences with robots and VR”... Hana Financial Group supports independence for students with developmental disabilities

[Financial News] Hana Financial Group is setting out to create a digital vocational education environment to help students with developmental disabilities explore career paths and enter society.
According to financial industry sources on the 28th, Hana Financial Group held the opening ceremony for the “Digital Career Exploration Classroom” at Miral School in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 27th. Attendees included Ham Young-joo, chairman of Hana Financial Group; Jeong Hyeong-seok, executive representative of the Miral Welfare Foundation; and Hong Jae-eun, principal of Miral School.
The initiative was designed to help students with developmental disabilities try out a variety of jobs at school and discover their aptitudes and interests.
The newly established classroom is equipped with a humanoid robot capable of voice conversations, virtual reality (VR) devices for vocational training, multimedia learning kiosks, educational point-of-sale (POS) devices, tablet PCs and other equipment.
Using digital devices, students can practice serving customers, taking orders and handling payments in virtual restaurants and cafes. Role-play and situational exercises using VR devices let them experience a range of situations that may arise on the job and develop their communication skills.
Hana Financial Group plans to select additional special schools in Incheon and Daejeon and create digital vocational education environments at a total of three sites by the first half of next year.
Chairman Ham said, “I hope the Digital Career Exploration Classroom will provide practical help to students with developmental disabilities as they experience a variety of jobs firsthand, discover their potential, nurture their individual dreams and grow into confident members of society. We will continue to provide genuine support linking education and self-reliance so that students with developmental disabilities are not left behind in the learning process and can prepare for the future themselves.” 
Meanwhile, Hana Financial Group will also support staff at special schools. It plans to run tailored programs—including psychological and emotional support with professional counselors, stress-management training and instruction in the latest special-education methods—to help prevent staff burnout and enhance their professional expertise.
[email protected] Lee Hyun-jung Reporter