Songpa-gu in Seoul will offer a series of free lectures under its "2026 Second-Half Women's Tomorrow (Job) Academy" program to help early-stage and aspiring women entrepreneurs and small-business owners sharpen their practical business skills, the district said.
The district has run the Women's Tomorrow (Job) Academy since 2022 to support women returning to the workforce and resuming economic activity.
In the first half of this year, the program produced 28 graduates — 13 essay writers and 15 character illustrators — whose works went on sale through Kyobo Book Centre, KakaoTalk, Naver Line and OGQ Market, marking a notable achievement.
For the second half, the district has organized a set of sales-focused lectures aimed at giving practical help to early-stage women entrepreneurs. The program will concentrate on helping women who are preparing to launch a business, those within three years of starting one, and small-business owners struggling with sluggish sales find new market channels.
The lectures will emphasize building business capabilities, with each session running 150 minutes and focusing on hands-on skills. Classes will be held once a month from July through November.
The curriculum covers five sessions: a July 24 class on using Naver marketing to revive a shop; an Aug. 21 session on short-form video techniques to drive sales; a Sept. 18 class on practical applications of generative AI; an Oct. 23 session on product photography using only a smartphone; and a Nov. 20 class on year-end tax adjustments and income tax strategies that are easy to overlook. The overarching theme is "practical strategies to save your shop."
Interested participants can register on a first-come, first-served basis through the Songpa Women's Career Connection Center website. Registration for the first session — "Naver Marketing to Revive Your Shop" on July 24 — is open until Tuesday, July 21.
Beyond the academy, the district is running a range of programs through the Songpa Women's Career Connection Center to help women who have left the workforce return to economic activity, including a job fair called "Career Connection Matching Day," a training course for after-school program instructors and a blog marketing education class.
"I hope these classes provide real, practical help to women who have left their careers and are struggling to re-enter the workforce or find new employment," Songpa-gu District Mayor Seo Gang-seok said. "We will continue to roll out tailored policies — including workforce development and job-placement support — to back women as they take on new challenges."
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