Opportunities for staff to achieve ‘Great’ vision

College students help build a house through Posco’s community service program earlier this year. Provided by the company

After Kwon Oh-joon became chairman of Posco last year, he announced “Posco the Great,” a vision to regain the company’s fame as a leading global steelmaker and overcome recent financial hardships.

Kwon believes that the key to realizing the goal is fostering competitive workers.

“What we need are creative people who can realize the ‘Posco the Great’ vision,” said Kwon when he took the helm of the nation’s leading steelmaker last year.

Once a new worker joins the company, they go through a mentoring program for a year to learn the steelmaker’s business system and how to adapt to the organization’s culture.

New employees also go through a three-year program to develop abilities within his or her business division to become a professional. One of the areas is a leadership program to encourage them to be a competitive leader who can make crucial decisions in the future.

The company also offers a series of programs to its young workers to operate businesses globally. Every year, workers with the potential to grow are sent to branches overseas, including China, Japan, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Mexico and Russia, for one year.

Employees are also offered a chance to study at a business school or attend an MBA program, as well as doctoral programs in engineering, construction and mechanical engineering. About 550 employees work in 27 different countries.

The company also runs a program known as “Posco Certified Professional” to raise experts specialized in diverse sectors, including manufacturing, research and equipment control, to provide technical solutions when required.

“Along with such support programs, another key to raising competitive workers is the mindset of employees that they are willing to grow as an expert in their business field,” a Posco spokesman said. “The fundamental philosophy is to develop business-leading workers and establish a
system where all employees can fully
utilize the company’s supporting
programs.”

Diverse programs, particularly for young generations, are also in place as part of social contribution activities. Since 2007, the company has been running a community service program with 100 college students overseas, giving them a chance to work at Posco’s business sites abroad to let them gain work experience before they graduate from college.

The company has also been running a venture support program known as Idea Market Place since November 2011, in which the company operates like a business incubator and “angel investor.” As the angel investor, the company financially supports newly established ventures and helps young entrepreneurs.

Posco has also established social enterprises to provide jobs for North Korean defectors.

It also established 27 social cooperatives for foreign women married to Korean men to help them successfully settle in the country.

The company also helps teenagers learn and achieve a professional license in diverse fields, including baking, beauty and hair design, and car repair engineering. An average of 50 teenagers have benefited from the
program every year.

BY KWON SANG-SOO, KIM JI-YOON [kwon.sangsoo@joongang.co.kr]