Korean Standards Association (KSA) has come up with steps to support SMEs, such as the operation of the Korea Standards Certification Center, the provision of free on-the-job-training programs to SME employees, and job creation programs for youth and baby boomers. 

KSA Chairman Kim Chang-ryong announced a list of major tasks with a focus on three themes °™ supporting SMEs, easing unemployment, and nurturing key manpower °™ which KSA will implement during this year while holding a meeting with reporters celebrating two years in office at the InterContinental Hotel in Samseong-dong, Seoul, on Feb. 19.

Kim said, “We at KSA plan to concentrate our core capabilities on supporting SMEs, among others, particularly on reducing SMEs’ costs and fostering their core gifted manpower.”

KSA, which has earned a reputation for its contribution to improving national competitiveness as a successful partner of Korean companies for the past five decades, is not sparing efforts to assist corporate activities. To support SMEs struggling for survival from difficulties caused by the global recession, on-the-job-training support for reducing joblessness and nurturing of key corporate manpower are among the measures KSA has come up with.

KSA offers 21 government-assisted on-the-job capability enhancement programs for SME employees in three areas °™ quality/production management, general business management, and manpower resources management. The programs are made available free of charge at the Gasan Digital Complex in Seoul and 16 other locations across the nation.

The expert course for factory management for money-making SMEs is focused on the equipment module field. It is comprised of a production module course for putting together mini-cars and a quality module course using sports principles. 

The general management course is for improving sales power using a sales tool kit. It proceeds with analyzing types of conversation using a Korean language usage program for training in sales languages and nurturing fluent characters by conducting an intensive training of sales languages. 

In the personnel management category, an advanced course for honing skills for conquering SMEs’ personnel management risks is about trainees’ taking a look into their own company’s personnel management levels and status and knowing what it takes to establish mid- and long-term plans. The trainees will be given an opportunity to get a first-hand experience at solving personnel management risks by participating in role-playing mock sessions of the National Labor Relations Commission.

KSA plans to establish infrastructure for conforming SMEs and midsize companies’ technologies with international standards. It is designed to offer support for the commercialization of technology tailored to meet individual company’s needs by making the most of homegrown international standards. 

In an effort to ramp up job-seeking capabilities for easing youth unemployment, KSA operates programs such as job-seeking camps for college undergraduates while implementing a program to help specialized high school graduates land jobs. In a bid to create jobs for baby boomers, the association offers programs to support prospective retirees and displaced workers. The programs are designed to provide a helping hand to beneficiaries by tying long-term educational programs with job-landing services. 

KSA operates the Korean Standards Certification Support Center in four cities °™ Suwon, Daejeon, Gwangju and Daegu °™ on a pilot program so as to provide KS certification services to SMEs. The center provides tips on on-line certification support services, and support experts will be dispatched to work sites to provide a helping hand. On-line self-diagnosis service is available to help SMEs reduce fees on consulting services. 

“Wa! Program” will be offered to provide educational courses in 10 areas, including communication, leadership, innovation, and teamwork targeting the nurturing of corporate manpower, while on-the-job educational programs on such topics as quality management, equipment management, productivity innovation, and solutions to site woes tailored to strengthen the quality of manufacturing sites will be offered. The association plans to hold conferences to disseminate the latest global trends. 

In cooperation with the Ministry of Knowledge Economy, KSA operates a CEOs’ forum for creating masterpieces. Established in early 2012 with the goal of creating world-class products, the forum was a gathering of the CEOs of 100 companies in nine areas, including Shinwon, Toray Advanced Materials Korea, LSIS, Kolon, Korea Ceramics, and Black Yak. The forum now covers 30 large-sized and 70 medium-sized companies ranging from consumer products to such capital goods as chemicals and machinery. The forum has a membership of 100 companies with a new member being allowed in if it produces an item ranking at least third in the global market. It holds a breakfast meeting every two months. 

The ministry and KSA publish a monthly masterpiece magazine, hold a masterpiece contest, and explore Korean masterpiece product contest winners and new world-class products. KSA announces the Service Quality Index, the Premium Brand Index, and other indexes to prod competition among Korean companies while operating the indexes for improving and protecting consumer rights. 

The association strives to spread and disseminate green growth and sustainable management. KSA offers certification services for greenhouse gas emissions and energy target management regimes and the Clean Development Mechanism systems, it implements a green management evaluation for SMEs; and runs the ISO50001 energy management system and the Energy Management Study Forum.

With regard to sustainable management, KSA offers programs for supporting corporate social responsibility among companies, and offers Korean companies access and guidance on ISO26000 to ensure businesses and organizations can operate in a socially responsible way.

KSA Chairman Kim took office as the new CEO and Chairman of KSA on March 30, 2011. Previously, he played a significant role in intellectual property rights and brings his extensive depth of knowledge of industrial policies to the area of quality and standards.