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National Technical Qualification Testing
Human Resources Development Service of Korea

The Problem

In 1974, the Korean government instituted a national skills certification program in order to increase the pool of skilled workers for a rapidly growing economy while simultaneously elevating the social status of skilled workers and providing the people of the country opportunities for professional advancement. The great task of executing and implementing the laws and regulations regarding skills and qualifications as well as overseeing the certification program was transferred to HRD-Korea, the Human Resources Development Service of Korea, after the agency was established in 1982. Although HRD-Korea endeavored to provide the best services possible, it was clear that there were problems for the users of the agency’s services as well as for the employees of HRD-Korea.
For those seeking to secure good careers or certifications for qualifications, access to comprehensive information about a wide range of skills and qualifications was imperative. Unfortunately, the agency only provided limited information about select skills so people were generally uninformed about skills in demand in the workplace, the required qualifications for certain certifications, and the means to acquire such skills. People had to turn to information provided in books, brochures, workshops, or schools but the information was exclusive and not wholly representative of the real market.
People who did manage to select a skill for certification found that the application process was very inconvenient and time consuming. Under the former system, certification applicants were required to personally visit the agency a minimum of seven times in order to complete simple tasks such as submit test applications and verify test results. Manual processing of applications also meant long lines at the agency offices.
In addition to those seeking certifications for jobs, organizations such as companies and government institutions which needed skilled workers found it difficult to hire because the verification process through HRD-Korea was cumbersome and time consuming.
The situation was of course frustrating to employees who recognized the problems but were unable to improve upon them. Employees could not improve services because they were overwhelmed with the time consuming tasks of manually processing the applications, making preparations for the tests, notifying each applicant of testing time and place, and even informing applicants of their test results. The outdated, inefficient system required a great amount of manpower and time but more importantly, resulted in long test cycles of over 2-3 months.
Another obstacle in improving services and addressing user complaints was that the agency was entrenched in old practices and protocol. There was great resistance to change and innovation from some members in HRD-Korea because they did not see the need to change a system that had worked for so long. However, the old system had several inherent problems. Databases were not integrated among the different offices so information could not be accessed from other branch offices, online services were very minimal, and most of the work processes were manually completed. In short, the old system of certification did not take advantage of astounding developments in IT and impeded users as well as service providers.

Solution and Key Benefits

 What is the initiative about? (the solution)
In order to overhaul the system, an online site especially geared for qualifications verification and testing was established under the name Q-Net, an acronym for “Qualifications Network.” Through continued improvements of the system, Q-Net has become one of the most successful examples of innovation and online conversion.
First and foremost, the launch of Q-Net and following system improvements finally resolved the problem of inconvenience and unnecessary costs for certification applicants. HRD-Korea actively sought to minimize or entirely eliminate the need to personally visit branch offices for routine tasks such as application submissions or request for refunds. By enabling 3.15 million applicants for certification testing to complete all necessary procedures online, it was calculated that applicants realized a savings of approximately 20.8 million US dollars (based on an exchange rate of 900 won to the dollar) in terms of transportation costs and time conserved. Considering the conservative calculations were based on minimum bus fares and only one hour consumed per visit, the actual savings were most likely much higher.
In addition to convenience and reduced cost, Q-Net has become the ultimate resource for national and international skills information. Of the 1,500 skills currently being tested by 300 institutions, Q-Net provides in-depth information for 1,118 skills. Attesting to the usefulness of such information, the site recorded over 25 million users accessing the information for this year alone.
Q-Net also serves as the most trusted database of skilled human resources as certification information for over 7.6 million people holding approximately 11 million certificates is managed by the website. The database is essential for organizations such as national administrative institutions, public agencies, and corporations to verify quickly and accurately the certification of possible candidates for employment. The availability of such services tremendously reduced paperwork for both the organizations requesting the information and HRD-Korea. Furthermore, certification verifications may be printed out in both Korean and English, from anywhere, on-demand, so applicants hoping to gain employment overseas or live abroad may apply for jobs easier than ever before. Attesting to the popularity of this new feature, over 730,000 English verifications were furnished over a ten month period in 2007.
One of the greatest changes resulting from Q-Net is the full automation and integration of database systems as those changes eliminated manual work processes and drastically reduced work loads. Full automation was possible this year due to a rapid rise in online application ratios from 13.9% in 2002 to 80% in 2006. Beginning in 2007, agreeing that the general population had sufficiently adjusted to online application procedures, submissions were only accepted online. As a result of all these developments, the quality of services improved and the approval rating of Q-Net skyrocketed to 92%.
Despite receiving numerous honors for Q-Net in 2006, HRD-Korea continued to improve the system. The Qualification Self-Diagnostic System added in 2007, provided more benefits such as online qualifications review of applicants and elimination of electronic transaction fees. The system improvements helped Q-Net garner prestigious awards from the President of Korea and high ranking ministers.

Actors and Stakeholders

 Who proposed the solution, who implemented it and who were the stakeholders?
Former HRD-Korea President prioritized the establishment of a dynamic learning culture and firmly believed that innovation was the only way for the delivery of optimum services and honoring the promises made to the people of this country. President stressed the development of “the very best website for qualification certification. Once established, it must constantly undergo innovations to provide a user experience rivaling the most popular internet shopping sites and go beyond stopgap measures to provide long-term solutions.” Under his leadership, HRD-Korea pursued innovation and banded together with relevant ministries and agencies to give birth to Q-Net.
The first step in the process was to establish a dynamic learning culture within the organization. 127 Learning Teams, comprised of members from all the branch offices and head office of HRD-Korea, were formed to promote and assist self-improvement and learning efforts. Simultaneously, an HRD Innovation Junior Board comprised of lower ranking officers voted on key policies for three years. An online suggestion program and forums encouraged exchange of ideas with users of HRD-Korea services and HRD-Korea employees. The free flow of ideas and opinions eventually resulted in a roadmap for the development of Q-Net.
After the initial preparations, the Ministry of Labor or MOLAB, which oversees Korea’s qualification certification program, provided funding to take the process to the next level. A group comprised of development experts, 19 administration ministry representatives, and members of HRD-Korea held ten meetings and workshops to develop concrete action plans for the task of overhauling the existing certifications system and improve relevant laws and regulations.
Next, in order to develop the best - not simply the first - specialized website for qualifications and skills information, representatives of various leading agencies, innovation officers, private sector consultants, development experts, and private citizens formed task force teams. Coined the “Q-Net Innovation Task Force,” the teams were divided into work process support, work process implementation, and system development.
The work process support team was comprised of MOLAB representatives, representatives from affiliate agencies, certifications experts, and HRD-Korea representatives. Their main tasks were to formulate execution plans, policies, and plans for system improvement as well as develop contents for the site.
The team for work process implementation was comprised of officers who conducted the certification testing. Their duties were to seek innovative solutions for existing work processes, present their ideas to private citizens or users of Q-Net and apply user responses in the development of a new work process.
The system development team was comprised of HRD-Korea IT experts and private consultants to equip the new system with functions recommended by the other task force teams.
As the true stakeholders of Q-Net are the people, the system was opened to the public for a month trial period, during which, responses from users were used to further improve the system. One of the biggest changes to the system during this time was integration of separate branch systems and greater security through added firewalls and dedicated system lines.

(a) Strategies

 Describe how and when the initiative was implemented by answering these questions
 a.      What were the strategies used to implement the initiative? In no more than 500 words, provide a summary of the main objectives and strategies of the initiative, how they were established and by whom.
In reviewing the former certification system, HRD-Korea decided to overhaul the system by utilizing the latest advancements in IT and taking advantage of the high internet penetration rate in Korea. By transferring much of the certification process onto a well managed online site, HRD-Korea hoped to resolve many of the problems plaguing the former system.
The Q-Net initiative was established to accomplish four major objectives. The first and foremost objective was to address user demands for more convenient application processes as well as simpler management of personal certification information. The second objective was to compile certification information into one comprehensive site and integrate the databases of certifications so that individuals could access reliable information while organizations could more readily verify certification of job candidates. The third objective of the Q-Net initiative was to computerize most of the simple, repetitive tasks involved in certification processing as this would greatly reduce the work load for HRD-Korea staff and shorten test cycles.
In order to achieve the first goal of providing comprehensive and efficient certification services to users, the entire application process and services provided by HRD-Korea needed to be made available online. Implementation strategies to transfer the certification process online were fourfold. First, all applications needed to be submitted online. When Q-Net was launched in 2002, applicants had the option to submit applications online or in person to ease the transition but beginning in 2007, only online applications were accepted. In order not to exclude people who needed assistance with online applications, help centers at all 23 branches were set up and those who could not pay for fees online due to bad credit or absence of credit had the option of utilizing online account services. Secondly, an automated refund system for those opting to cancel their applications was needed. Q-Net reached an agreement with banks and credit card companies to establish an automated refund system. Third, checking eligibility requirements for a certain skill certification was complicated. The Qualification Self-Diagnostic System was introduced earlier this year in order to help users confirm certification eligibility much more easily. The fourth strategy to transfer the certification process online and improve user services involved the delivery service of certifications to the destination of choice. With Q-Net, users can request certification issuance and delivery to their home or office with the click of a button.
The next major objective of Q-Net was to compile all relevant information about national and foreign skill qualifications, testing methods, scoring standards, and sample test questions and make them available to users via the Q-net site. Information would also be linked to corporate websites or public organization sites which list employment or training opportunities for the respective skill.
The third objective of the Q-Net initiative was to computerize simple repetitive tasks involved for certification testing procedures such as accepting applications, assigning testing designations, inputting information into, and producing test preparation materials. These efforts had the added benefit of allowing users to select their testing site or testing schedule of choice.

(b) Implementation

 b.      What were the key development and implementation steps and the chronology? No more than 500 words
After years of learning from user complaints and suggestions and striving to innovate year after year, HRD-Korea achieved a pivotal point in the development of Q-Net, “ Zero Visitation Certification Services” The terms literally mean that certification applicants or organizations needing certification verification no longer need to make personal visits to a branch office. The accomplishment signifies total online integration of the certification process and work processes involved.
The accomplishment was possible due to an online suggestion program, COP learning activities, HRD Innovation Junior Board efforts, and most importantly, HRD-Korea’s efforts to “create a dynamic learning culture,” one of the four goals of innovation for 2007.
The online suggestion program resulted in an online payment system for those who did not have a credit card to complete transactions online. Learning activities gave rise to the 100% internet application system and online refund system. HRD Innovation Junior Board was the force for the online application review system and internet certification issuance system. The availability of these systems through Q-Net eliminated the need to visit the agency or branch offices. Users could now receive high quality services with the click of the mouse.
Enhanced internal work processes also enhanced work efficiency. Databases which were separately managed by each of the branch offices and the head office of the HRD-Korea were integrated thus sharply reducing the work involved in managing the database at the branch office and reducing the time to collect and sort testing materials from 3 days to real-time. By providing testing time and place information much earlier, users could now select the testing destination and time of choice. The average waiting time of ten minutes at branches for certificate issuance was reduced to zero as users could request and pay for certificate issuance online. Furthermore, the certificates could be delivered to one’s home or office, hassle-free.
Another key development of Q-Net was the instantaneous feedback system. A “Comment/Advice” corner allowed users the opportunity to input their opinions or queries. Of the 56,000 requests for help annually, 99% were processed or answered within 24 hours as they are simple issues. The remaining 1% was internally reviewed and answers were provided within 7 days.
As for the chronology, Q-Net was launched in May of 2001 and undergone two system improvements. The first overhaul was in November 2004 to June 2005. The focus of the change was on improving the contents of the site as well as improving ease of use and fortifying the system. The second modification took place throughout 2006. The internet certification issuance system was launched in June, the automated refund system implemented in August, and Qualification Diagnostic System was added in October. Beginning January of 2007, all of the certification applications were accepted only online.
Due to overwhelming positive response from users and the government, HRD-Korea was entrusted to manage and oversee certification for an additional 47 national skills. In order to ensure successful execution, Q-Net is currently undergoing a third system improvement.

(c) Overcoming Obstacles

 c.      What were the main obstacles encountered? How were they overcome? No more than 500 words
Before the development of Q-Net, the resistance to change and innovation of those overseeing certification testing procedures was strong and it was difficult to make employees realize that service improvements were mandatory.
In order to overcome the situation, HRD-Korea President championed innovation and held workshops and seminars to propagate such values. However, although innovation seemed to address reduction of costs for users, there was concern that workloads for staff would increase.
To address those concerns, a HRD Innovation Junior Board, learning teams, and customer focus groups were implemented to seek ways to address both the needs of users and staff alike. The result of such efforts was Q-Net – a comprehensive website for certification testing.
However, it was difficult to meet the demands of users with the limited resources and budget available. To overcome such limited personnel resources and limited financial resources, current staff who specialized in IT were educated to develop areas that were possible and internal processes were altered to be favorable for the development of such a system.
In order to deploy a portal site for all the services necessary for qualifications certification, securing varied but specialized contents and universally applicable contents were key.
To resolve these needs, Task Force teams comprised of test development officers, testing site officers, IT specialists, and policy officers were formed and held regular meetings to secure optimal plans and quality contents.
Features and services were created with the ultimate user in mind so contents were developed to be accessed easily and at a level they could understand. The task of keeping it simple, however, was not an easy one a decision making system did not exist.
In order to reach an agreement about the needs of users and the functions required, a survey was initially conducted and then a forum for ideas exchanges with users were held. Next, over 20 workshops and seminars were held to decide the feasibility of ideas.
The next problem in development involved securing credibility and accuracy of information posted on Q-Net as well as the security of the system during high usage by numerous users. In order to put such fears at ease, the system underwent a month trial run and during that time, specialists reviewed the contents to verify accuracy of contents and conducted a test of 20,000 users accessing the site simultaneously. The systematic verification of problems also included ensuring errors would be fixed immediately by posting the developers of the system on guard during this period.
Even today, in order to keep gauge of user opinions and reflect those opinions to the best of our abilities onto Q-Net, a policy suggestion room and a customer reporting center are maintained and suggestions are reviewed by the board and feedback is given to users immediately.

(d) Use of Resources

 d.      What resources were used for the initiative and what were its key benefits? In no more than 500 words, specify what were the financial, technical and human resources’ costs associated with this initiative. Describe how resources were mobilized
Initially, the system was established with a meager budget of roughly 400 million Korean won or roughly $300,000 US dollars based on the exchange rate at the time. However, the demands on the system placed by increasing services such as online application submissions, online release of test questions, and availability of test results cause frequent system errors.
In order to improve qualifications certification services and truly impress users, large scale renovations were carried out beginning in November of 2004. Realizing that hardware would greatly affect the overall performance of the system, all of the 1.3 billion won (US$1,000,000) budget was invested into hardware. Software needed an investment of 1 billion won but the testing system was minimized and HRD-Korea staff were utilized for the renovations to save 500 million won.
In order to increase effectiveness of the improvements, HRD Innovation Junior Board, innovation sponsor activities, and innovation process improvement programs (COP) were conducted to increase cooperation and sharing of common goals. Exchanges with the users of the system were also increased during this time through the forum for users and staff, user chat rooms, user suggestion programs and consultations with outside experts. Such exchanges in opinions helped minimize system errors and increased communication skills.
Task force teams were formed for the modification project consisting of work process support team (22 people), work process implementation team (7), and system development team (17).
In order to ensure that the development of the computer systems would be second to none, a systems development firm with experience in establishing agency systems was selected and the best consortium possible was formed with the PM being above the level of executive director and hardware, C/S, and web specialists being of the highest caliber.
As a result of such efforts, we were able to deploy a system capable of servicing 200,000 users simultaneously and dual database systems allowed continued service year-round. In addition, hardware infrastructure such as backup systems and security systems were upgraded to be secure even in today’s rapidly changing cyber environment.
In order to increase conformity of information and systematize management of users after the establishment of Q-Net, the separately managed databases of certification candidates and holders were unified into Q-Net.
After the modifications, users could take advantage of My Page features to maximize convenience. For example, by registering one’s photo once during membership registration, one no longer needed to obtain five copies of one’s photo to complete applications. Furthermore, members could now register for tests with one click rather than go through long processes for each and every certification test. Test scores and certification information can all be accessed in a customized page so convenience and security is greatly enhanced for users.
As of October 2007, Q-Net currently boasts over 3.47 million members. HRD-Korea will continue to increase convenience and utility of Q-Net and promote the site to expand services to more people. Q-Net will be aggressively promoted as a mark of innovation and quiz events are planned to draw more members.

Sustainability and Transferability

  Is the initiative sustainable and transferable?
HRD-Korea continues to update the information uploaded on Q-Net constantly. A Q-Net maintenance team of 7 members constantly updates information and one member from each of the 120 teams are dedicated to ensuring that the information posted is the up-to-date.
MOGAHA has even designated Q-Net as a priority in its information sharing project and has supplied all the public administrative organizations with over 7.6 million certification holders since September 2006.
In addition, beginning in 2007, Q-Net was designated as a key national tool to play a crucial part in developing the human resources of the nation.
Recently, there have been many countries which have selected Q-Net as a benchmark for qualifications testing systems. This is quite a cornerstone in Q-Net development as such actions indicate that Q-net is being globalized and can even be exported. Prime examples of Q-Net services being utilized abroad is HRD-Korea’s assistance in establishing a national qualification certification system in Kazakhstan and Cambodia.
The certification system for Kazakhstan launched in 2006 and is slated to be completed in 2008. The task required the dispatch of HRD-Korea staff, training of managers and administrators of the Kazak system in the international HRD center of HRD-Korea, and provision of tools and equipment for certification testing procedures. The project represents an investment of 846 million won over three years in the developing country’s project.
The second support provide internationally is for the establishment of a certification system in Cambodia. In October 2007, the first team of experts was dispatched to begin the process of establishing a system. A similar investment as Kazakhstan is expected to be made for Cambodia. The project is slated to be completed by the end of 2009.
Korea is widely recognized as a leader in internet usage and ubiquity. A contributing factor to the continued supremacy of Korea’s IT infrastructure is Q-Net. Q-Net is a system that is able to accomplish development goals of a developing country and produce skilled HR in a variety of fields in relatively short time periods. The system is ideal for application to developing countries.
As showcased in the examples of Cambodia and Kazakhstan, HRD-Korea is dedicated to helping other countries and providing consulting services from creating test questions to certification issuance and management of such resources. With the dispatch of needed staff, HRD-Korea will help countries develop a system much like Q-Net but customized to the needs of their countries. In addition to sending our own staff members, HRD-Korea is quite prepared to invite those who would be in charge of such a system from their home countries to transfer the knowledge we have gained from our experience in establishing Q-net.
Rather than simply transfer what we have learned from Q-Net to developing countries unilaterally, we see it as a tool for mutual communication and improvement of public services.

Lessons Learned

 What are the impact of your initiative and the lessons learned?
The successful establishment of Q-Net was possible through careful attention to the opinions of users and thus system improvements focused on the needs of the final user. In addition, the bold initiatives of the management and staff to work towards innovation helped bring the dream to fruition. Listening to the needs of the users, understanding the perspective of users, and actively trying to address their needs were also critical in the success of Q-Net.
The increase in the number of Q-Net users and rise in work load for the system required customer focused services and improved system performance. Due to the particular traits inherent to testing, overloaded systems during peak usage times especially near application deadlines caused many complaints to be lodged against HRD-Korea.
Hardware was a problem but optimizing software had precedence. In order to resolve this issue, an astronomical amount of financial resources seemed to be necessary to find a solution. The solution was to simplify the internal work processes and educating HRD-Korea personnel to become very familiar with the work process. In this way, we succeeded in drastically reducing the costs involved in maintenance and project costs.
In essence, even without the necessary budget, we learned that our efforts can complete any task as long as we continue to adhere to our determinations and means to develop.
Survey of Q-Net user concerns demonstrated that users need more than simply the dates and times of tests and certification information. They need information about the respective skill, what eligibility requirements are, future outlook for the skill in the market, average wages expected, and where jobs for the related skill are available.
Since February of 2006, in order to provide such information, HRD-Korea teamed up with KEIS (Korea Employment Information Service) which is currently operating Work-Net (a listing of job openings) and HRD-Net (a network of information for training for a particular vocation). HRD-Korea and KEIS will establish a comprehensive information system connecting jobs, vocational training, and certification information. The service is planned to be available beginning in 2008.
Q-Net has succeeded in providing more than certification information to provide current news and information on employment and careers. As such, HRD-Korea provides a one-stop service. Rather than an independent, singular operation system, HRD-Korea realized that a connected information network creates synergy. These efforts to constantly improve and innovate have earned Q-Net a reputation of high satisfaction and respect. The government recently entrusted HRD-Korea 47 national level skills which were managed under different public organizations to manage under Q-Net. That would attract an additional 400,000 users to the site annually beginning 2008.
HRD-Korea will strive to push on and develop Q-Net as an international brand for certifications information. Customer satisfaction will become a given and satisfaction will become essential as we continue to strive toward innovation and change. HRD-Korea will strive to develop Q-Net into an international site, a site that creates a dynamic organizational culture, and a site that serves the people.

Contact Information

Institution Name:   Human Resources Development Service of Korea
Institution Type:   Public Agency  
Contact Person:   Yong-Dal Kim
Title:   President  
Telephone/ Fax:   +82-2-3271-9143,9147
Institution's / Project's Website:   +82-2-716-9742
E-mail:   kma140@hrdkorea.or.kr  
Address:   370-4, Gongduk-dong
Postal Code:   121-757
City:   Seoul
State/Province:   Seoul
Country:  

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