ETHIOPIA OFFICE

The graduation ceremony of the Vocational Technology College, operated by the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOCIA) with LG Electronics and World Together in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, was held on Saturday, August 27, 2022. The graduation ceremony was attended by LG Electronics' Lee Il-hwan, representative of the Middle East and Africa, Ethiopian Ambassador Kang Seok-hee, World Together Chairman Kim Yong-woo, and KOICA Ethiopia Vice President Cho Sung-hee.

Tsega Solomon, a graduate of the project, entered LG-KOICA Hope TVET College in 2016 and completed a three-year course.
He was born in the Kolpe area of Addis Ababa and spent his childhood growing up at the hands of his grandparents. He received early childhood education and primary education up to the fifth grade at Yoha-Tsion Academy. He then lived with his aunt for five years before becoming a high school student in Bahirdar, 560 kilometers from Addis Ababa. Returning to Addis Ababa, he graduated from St. Raguel Church School in the area of Mercato.
He later moved to attend the Computer Science Department at Woldia Public University, 514 km from Addis Ababa. However, allergy symptoms worsened due to the changed water quality environment, so I had to stop studying in the first grade and return to my home. He did not give up and entered Micro-Link Private University again, raising tuition fees for elementary school students and continuing his studies. One day, LG-KOICA Hope TVET College heard that tuition was free and decided to apply. This is because I remembered an anecdote about my grandfather, who was a veteran of the Korean War. Although it was a school 22.7 km away from home, it was selected by preparing documents and applying for the Hardware Networking Program.
Later, in November 2019, he was given the opportunity to participate in an internship program at LG's Middle East and Africa headquarters in Dubai. During his one-year internship, he worked as an HE Assistant Training Officer and a member of the "ThinQ" while taking Mindset Training as well as HE, H&A, and MC&B2B online and field courses. In November 2020, I experienced CIC technology course developers and content creators in the customer relations department.
He currently works as a customer relations manager for the LG East Africa Service Team located in Nairobi, Kenya, and is in charge of monitoring digital platforms such as SNS, WhatsApp, e-mail, and VOC, as well as supporting distributors. He said, "CIC is like the eyes and ears of a customer, so it helps to understand the field deeply." "As an employee of LG, we are prioritizing field analysis and improvement to provide better service to our customers," he said, expressing responsibility for his work. He also expressed extraordinary confidence, saying, "Unlike before, I compare myself in the global market" and, "I think I can do anything if I have a heart."

KOICA is building and operating vocational schools in Ethiopia through the project and producing graduates like Tsega. In particular, it provides vocational training and high-quality employment opportunities by establishing a curriculum that can transfer LG Electronics' strengths, such as technology to repair various types of home appliances, and supporting the acquisition of state-approved certificates.
The fourth project, worth a total of 2.3 billion won, will expand ECM/HOS/ICT technology education and support for youth education for the vulnerable in Ethiopia to expand income generation opportunities for young people (including descendants of Korean War veterans, the poor, and the disabled). In addition, it will lay the foundation for the financial independence of universities through the development of sustainable university operation models.
Meanwhile, through the project, KOICA hopes to contribute to national economic and social development by reducing national poverty by fostering professional technology personnel in the electronic and ICT fields.