We are delighted to welcome a new Visiting Fellow to the University of Bath Institute for Policy Research (IPR), as a recipient of the Korean Government Overseas Fellowship.

Hong-Seok Jeong has worked for the Ministry of Employment and Labour (MOEL), Republic of Korea, for over 10 years. He is currently the Director of the Bucheon Job Center in the Bucheon Regional Labour Office, where he is responsible for employment support, including unemployment benefits and subsidies related to employment retention.

During his time at the IPR, he will undertake a new research project entitled ‘A study on cases of relieving youth unemployment through customised vocational education and employment support services’.

His research will examine the systems of vocational training and employment support services across the UK; how these compare with similar services in South Korea; and how to apply apprenticeships, vocational training systems, and other policies for reinforcing employment support, in South Korea.

Director of the IPR, Professor Nick Pearce, adds:

"We are pleased to welcome Hong-Seok Jeong to the IPR team as a new Visiting Fellow. He is the fourth Visiting Policy Fellow we have hosted at IPR as part of our partnership with the Korean government. We look forward to collaborating with him, and seeing the results of his comparative research project on UK and Korean vocational education and employment support services."