– ‘Univ Zone’ Expanded to Jakarta Creative Hub Following Jakarta State University

– Various ‘Class’ in ‘Univ Zone’…Expanding Learning Opportunities for College Students

SEOUL, South Korea, July 28, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — KT&G, a global company headquartered in South Korea, is establishing community centers for local college students and providing them a platform for networking, learning, and expanding horizons.

KT&G’s social contribution platform, KT&G Sangsang Univ Indonesia has recently established a community center for college students named ‘Univ Zone’ at the Jakarta Creative Hub(JCH), a startup support facility run by the Jakarta provincial government. KT&G is introducing various cultural experiences and skills development programs for the visitors at the ‘JCH Univ Zone’.

In April, KT&G Sangsang Univ Indonesia established ‘Univ Zone’ at Jakarta State University (UNJ) as a place for college students. Positive response from the Jakarta community has inspired KT&G to establish ‘Univ Zone’ at JCH as well, as an effort to broaden access to culture and education for the city’s college students.

• ‘Univ Zone‘ Offering Wide Range of Activities…From Skills Development Programs to Cultural Festivals

On June 17th, KT&G Sangsang Univ Indonesia signed a MOU with JCH to expand ‘Univ Zone’ to JCH. ‘JCH Univ Zone’ is currently hosting ‘Class’, the education program designed to improve participants’ cultural awareness and their ability to find and keep a job.

Since its opening in April, the ‘UNJ Univ Zone’ has been bustling with activities, and its ‘Class’ program has grown to include around 200 participants in just three months. The ‘Class’ program offers a wide range of skills-based training useful for finding and keeping a job, as well as cultural activities like K-Pop singing and dancing, working as a barista, and practicing for job interviews. Any college student in Indonesia can participate in the ‘Class’ program at no cost.

KT&G Sangsang Univ Indonesia had established and operated ‘Univ Zone’ in Trisakti University and UNAS University in Jakarta from 2017 to 2020. A total of 320 classes were held and 13,000 students have participated in these classes showing the community’s high enthusiasm for Sangsang Univ Programs.

Lessons and information gained from the ‘Class’ have helped many realize their dreams. Franco, a college student who took ‘Sangsang Barista Class’, opened a successful coffee shop, and Annisa, a student who took ‘Sangsang Makeup Class’, established a successful career in the cosmetics industry. Since enrolling in the ‘Sangsang Cooking Class’, Fajar was able to open a successful Korean food delivery business.

‘Univ Zone’ is also hosting ‘Sangsang Festa’, a cultural festival for college students to gather around and experience different cultural programs, every year. Over a thousand college students attended the festival annually prior to COVID-19. While last year’s festival took place online due to quarantine regulations, this year’s event will take place offline.

• ‘KT&G Korean Language Institute‘ Encouraging Students‘ Language Proficiency

KT&G opened a Korean language school in Jakarta in 2014, making it the first Korean company operating a language institute in Indonesia. As of now, the location has been moved to Surabaya, and a total of 2,400 students have enrolled at the ‘KT&G Korean Language Institute’ to date.

The majority of the students at the ‘KT&G Korean Language Institute’ are in their 20s and 30s. Many of them are learning Korean language for the purpose of cultural and linguistic enrichment, with an eye toward future employment opportunities. In spite of the pandemic last year, KT&G increased the availability of its benefits by introducing online classes. The Korean Language Institute in Surabaya saw 376 students enrolled in classes last year, with 43% of those students attending classes online from outside of Surabaya.

An official at KT&G said, "As a global company operating a business site in Indonesia, we are operating various competency development programs for the local college students in order to fulfill our social responsibilities." He added, "We will continue helping Indonesian college students obtain high-quality learning opportunities for self-development, hoping that our efforts will contribute to the improvement of Indonesia’s national competitiveness."

KT&G is the fifth-largest tobacco company in the world in terms of market share and sales volume, and its products are exported to over 120 countries. In 2011, the company acquired Trisakti, the sixth-largest tobacco company in Indonesia, and officially entered the Indonesian market. Since 2016, KT&G has taken the lead in creating local jobs in Indonesia. Last year alone, KT&G hired around 1,600 employees in Indonesia.