The Lotte Scholarship Foundation (Chairwoman Jang Hye-seon) held the “Shin Kyuk-ho Lotte Scholarship Award Ceremony for Job Seekers” on Tuesday, May 5, at the Lotte Retail Academy in Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul, and presented a total of 300 million won in scholarships to 300 job seekers in the media and engineering fields.

 

This year's scholarship recipients will each receive a living expense scholarship of 1 million won, and will also have the opportunity to participate in various job experience education programs to learn about their desired fields and develop their expertise.

 

The education program for scholarship recipients will be conducted over four days and will include lecture-style education such as “employment special lectures” with experts in the media and engineering fields and “conversations with seniors” where they can hear about actual work experiences, as well as a one-day “field trip” where they can visit a broadcasting studio and the research complex at Lotte Central Research Institute.

 

Launched in 2019 for those aspiring to work in the distribution industry, the “Shin Kyuk-ho Lotte Scholarship for Job Seekers” is now in its seventh year. The program aims to nurture diverse talent by setting different job categories each year based on the preferences of the scholarship recipients.

 

In addition to the media and communications field, which began receiving support last year, the foundation has expanded the scope of its scholarship support to include job seekers in science and engineering fields, selecting scholarship recipients from among students who have completed (or are expected to complete) at least five semesters of a four-year university program nationwide.

 

The regional breakdown of the 300 scholarship recipients selected this year (based on school) is as follows: △Seoul 159 △Gyeonggi 24 △Incheon 27 △Gangwon 2 △Gyeongbuk 12 △Gyeongnam 8 △Daegu 4 △Busan 11 △Ulsan 4 △Chungnam 21 △Chungbuk 10 △Jeonbuk 6 △Jeonnam 11 △Jeju 1.

 

 

This year, in particular, scholarships were awarded exclusively to socially vulnerable groups in need of economic support, including low-income households, single-parent families, grandparent-headed households, foster families, and multicultural families, with the aim of providing practical assistance to job seekers striving toward their dreams despite challenging circumstances.

 

The award ceremony was attended by Jang Hye-seon, Chairperson of the Lotte Scholarship Foundation, and approximately 300 recipients of the 7th batch of scholarships.

 

 

In her opening remarks, Jang Hye-seon said, “I have been looking forward to this moment for a long time, but I apologize for not being able to greet you all in the best of health today.”

She continued, “This year marks the seventh year that our foundation has been supporting job seekers, and I would like to share with you the motivation I have felt personally while helping them.”

 

Chairman Jang said, “As the chairman of the foundation, every time I conduct interviews with job seekers who have applied to the foundation, I am struck by how versatile and talented they are. However, the fact that such capable job seekers are still unable to secure employment is personally very disappointing to me.”

 

She continued, “While helping you is important, what we truly strive for is to walk alongside you with all our hearts. Even if we don't see each other every day or meet often, we believe that even passing by is a connection. Those of us gathered here today are truly a great and precious connection.”

 

Therefore, she urged, “Please keep the name ‘Lotte Scholarship Foundation’ in your hearts and remember the value of ‘virtuous cycle’ that our foundation pursues. No matter where you go or where you find employment, please do not forget these two things and put them into practice in your lives.”

 

Chairman Jang also said, “Our foundation is constantly thinking of various ways to help job seekers every year, and we are changing our methods and programs every year.”

 

In particular, she said, “This year, we decided to provide new support because we believe that science and engineering fields are very important for national development and economic growth.”

 

She concluded, “All members of our foundation are working diligently for your future, so please provide feedback after the program ends for the benefit of the next cohort.”

 

 

Meanwhile, this year's “Shin Gak-ho Lotte Job Seeker Scholarship” attracted over 1,000 applicants, resulting in a competition ratio of 3.4:1, reflecting the high level of interest among young people in employment. The Lotte Scholarship Foundation plans to continue its social contribution activities by supporting young people's challenges and growth, and discovering and nurturing talent in various fields.