[World News] WPEE 2005: A Variety of Jobs at a Glance

There is one secret, and that is that corpses appearing in “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” a U.S. TV drama currently being broadcasted in Korea with huge popularity, are actually silicon human body models. According to special makeup expert Carlton Coleman, a special silicon human body model where the mold of an actor is used proves “more corpse-like” than an actual actor lying down.

At the World Professional Edu Expo (WPEE) 2005, which is being held at the Korea International Exhibition Center (KINTEX) starting from December 7, you can listen to exciting stories behind today’s most promising professions. Though busy doing special makeup for visitors, Coleman explained the “secrets” of Hollywood makeup.

After taking a six-month training course in special makeup last year at Cinema Makeup School in Los Angeles, U.S., Coleman has been working in Hollywood. “Special makeup is such a promising field that five out of seven makeup school graduates immediately land a job in movie productions. The employment rate of Asian graduates is especially high as they are quite clever with their hands,” said Coleman, who had been an ordinary office worker for 15 years before changing course to be a special makeup artist.

Nowadays, a growing number of young people are seeking vocational schools that best match their aptitudes, rather than relying on the reputation of colleges. However, it is not easy to receive a vocational education of good quality. In some cases, one ends up in failure, simply wasting time and money, after enrolling in a school on the sole basis of what others say about the school.

WPEE is an event designed to introduce in one central place some 50 special education institutes from Europe, the U.S., China, Australia and others where vocational education is much more advanced compared to in Korea. It aims mainly at demonstrating the content of practical trainings and job sites after graduation.

The event, which will be held until December 11, has been attended by vocational schools from a variety of fields, ranging from design, animation and grooming to art reproduction, jewelry craftsmanship and pet management. As the event is being held this year for the first time, some schools failed to fully prepare their practice programs; however, the event is quite distinctive from previous and existing expositions of international education that instead focus more on distributing pamphlets.

Demonstration events are held by various booths. Aside from those events, participating schools appear on the central stage according to a time schedule to demonstrate practices. On the evening of December 7, trainees of China’s Song Jiang Martial Arts School demonstrated “wu shu” in their red practice suits, without showing a trace of fatigue even though they had reportedly just arrived at the event.

European vocational schools excelled in the tourism and leisure fields such as hotel management, cuisine and sports.

Ruth Notelle, a cook from DCT Hotel & Business Management School of Switzerland, invited visitors to the table and demonstrated the making and serving of a dessert called flambert impromptu. Admission Director Sharon Spaltenstein of the school said, “30 out of 160 students are from Asia, and the number of Asian students is quickly growing.”

Visitors stopping by the booth of the National Baking and Pastry-Making Institute (INBP) of France tried some macaroon made by Sebastian Odet, a local patissier in France. “I heard that the profession of patissiers is highly popular thanks to a recent TV drama,” said Odet. “In France, many office workers in their 30s and 40s change course, receive baking training and become patissiers.”

CEO Park Il-kyung of IL Provision, the organizer of the event, said, “For applicants with a certain qualification who pass field interviews, some participating schools such as Spain’s Valencia School of Hotel and Tourism, Chungking Tourism School and Dalian Medical College of China, are planning to provide scholarships tantamount to the tuition fees of one semester.”

Mi-Kyung Jung mickey@donga.com