POSCO Energy helps kids find their calling

POSCO Energy, the power-producing unit of the nation’s largest steelmaker POSCO, has been for years dedicated to helping children from underprivileged families discover what they want to be in the future.

This month, the company invited about 150 children registered at 10 children’s welfare centers in Incheon to Kidzania, an indoor play area where kids can get a taste of different jobs, in an event the company calls “Find My Future Job.”

At Kidzania, kids can try out more than 90 different jobs including firefighters, TV newscaster, flight attendant, mechanic and designer.

Volunteers from POSCO Energy ― mostly college students ― served as guides and mentors for the children, giving them advice and telling them about each occupation. 

Children at POSCO Energy’s “Find my future job” event find out what it is like to be a photographer at Kidzania in Jamsil, southern Seoul, Tuesday. (POSCO Energy)

“This has been a great opportunity for the children at the child care center. Before, they would say they did not have any dreams of what they wanted to become in the future,” said Park In-taek, head of Baekhab Children’s Center, whose children participated in the job-experiencing program. “But after meeting their mentors, they now are dreaming of going to university, getting a better education and achieving more in life.

“I also believe that the hands-on experience has taught our kids to become more specific about their dreams.”

As Park pointed out, the volunteers, who are members of POSCO Energy’s Hopeful Energy College Student Volunteer Corps, also played a huge role in helping the children find their dreams.

The group has been devoted to helping educate the children in Incheon where POSCO operates an LNG plant since the job-experiencing program was established in March 2013. They have been providing mentorship by playing with them, and guiding them in different subjects such as art, music and physical education.

“These university students have also been renovating the studying areas at local children’s welfare centers to try and give them a better academic environment,” said Sim Won-bo, a POSCO Energy spokesman.

POSCO Energy is now looking for new volunteers who will start campaigning from this October through March 2015.

By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)