South Korea¡¯s efforts to use its universities to train foreign caregivers to address critical staff shortages won¡¯t work without a change in attitude towards migrant workers, experts have said.

The country¡¯s government has designated 24 universities to run a pilot scheme to recruit and train international students to work in adult social care, as part of efforts to meet the challenges of an ageing population.

The scheme, jointly overseen by the ministries of justice and health, will run between 2026 and 2027.

Selected institutions will establish care worker degree programmes in departments dedicated to foreign students, combining professional training with targeted Korean language classes.

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Among the universities named are?Myongji?College and?Sahmyook?Health University in Seoul, Kyungnam College of Information & Technology,?Dongui?Institute of Technology in Busan and?Kyungin?Women¡¯s College in Incheon.

All participating institutions were reviewed by a joint government committee and must also secure approval from provincial or metropolitan authorities under the Elderly Welfare Act before they can launch programmes.

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The government said the scheme would cover the full process of recruiting and educating foreign students through to their employment in Korea.

Students enrolled at the designated institutions will benefit from?relaxed visa requirements, including reduced financial thresholds and more flexibility in staying longer.

¡°By having local universities directly train caregivers needed in their respective communities, we expect this initiative to greatly ease the shortage of care workers. We will continue to work with relevant ministries to advance policies that foster skilled talent,¡± said justice minister Chung Sung-ho.

But Theodore Jun?Yoo, professor of history at Yonsei University, said previous efforts to attract foreign care workers had failed?because of rising costs, over-reliance on?immigrants?from the Philippines and lack of demand outside Seoul.

¡°If this new plan to train foreign caregivers through universities is going to work, it really needs to be set up through good two-year colleges that offer proper professional licences so folks are actually qualified,¡± he said.

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¡°The eased visa rules might help bring more students in since it gives them some peace of mind about staying longer.¡±

But, Yoo added, ¡°migrant workers in Korea overall still deal with too much abuse, poor pay, and racism¡±.

¡°Unless Koreans start treating these workers better, no amount of training will fix the bigger problems,¡± he said.

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¡°Hopefully, the universities can help with better skills and support, but the government and society need to step up on workers¡¯ rights and respect if this is ever going to work.¡±

Under the pilot, institutions will be required to run internal evaluations each semester, with the government carrying out a comprehensive review before the scheme concludes in 2027.

Robert J. Fouser, former associate professor of Korean language education at Seoul National University, noted that the international context could work in South Korea¡¯s favour.

¡°Most, if not all, of the countries that have attracted international students are starting to restrict and/or reduce the inflow of students. South Korea may view itself as more competitive now with caregiving being part of an overall push to attract international students.¡±

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tash.mosheim@timeshighereducation.com