Gyeonggi Province Recruits 'Gyeonggi-type Pre-Social Enterprises'…Support for Promotion and Distribution Channels

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province is now accepting open applications from corporations and organizations within the province that wish to participate in the '2022 First Half Gyeonggi-type Pre-Social Enterprise Designation Project' until March 10.

The 'Gyeonggi-type Pre-Social Enterprise Designation Project' supports the growth of corporations and organizations that are performing roles as social enterprises—such as creating jobs for vulnerable populations and contributing to the local community—but lack some certification requirements such as organizational structure, enabling them to receive social enterprise certification.

Corporations and organizations designated as Gyeonggi-type pre-social enterprises will receive the following benefits over the next three years: ▲eligibility to apply for job creation, professional personnel, and business development funding support ▲management consulting ▲various promotion and distribution channel support. They also conduct public interest activities that provide jobs or social services at a certain ratio or higher to vulnerable populations including the low-income, elderly, disabled, youth, and North Korean defectors.

Applicants must be corporations or organizations with offices in Gyeonggi Province. Those wishing to apply should select one of five types—▲social service provision type ▲job provision type ▲regional community contribution type ▲hybrid type ▲other (creative/innovation)—then prepare a business plan corresponding to that type and submit it along with related documents such as the pre-social enterprise designation application.

Applications can be submitted through the Social Enterprise Integrated Information System (http://www.seis.or.kr) until 6 p.m. on March 10. For more details, visit the Gyeonggi Province website (www.gg.go.kr) to check notices and announcements. You can contact the Gyeonggi Province Social Economy Division (031-8008-3586) for more detailed guidance.

The province will complete the selection of participating organizations after document review, on-site inspections, and face-to-face evaluations, and plans to announce the results at the end of April through the Gyeonggi Province website and municipal/county offices.

A Gyeonggi Province official stated, "We are proceeding with the discovery and development of diverse pre-social entrepreneurs in line with the government's social economy activation plan," and added, "Since various support benefits are available, we encourage corporations and organizations with capacity to actively participate."

Meanwhile, the province has a total of 967 (prospective) social enterprises in operation, including 561 certified social enterprises and 406 pre-social enterprises.