Ehime University’s Career Support Program For International Students: “Diversity Utilization Support Seminar” And The 10th Closing Ceremony Took Place On February 13, 2018.

We held a seminar “Diversity Personnel Utilization for brightening the future of our　region by All Ehime” and this year’s closing ceremony of “Highly-skilled Human Resources Development Program for International Students” at the university memorial hall on Feb. 13, attended by around 120 people including program participants, faculty and staff, prefectural officials as well as company representatives.

The vice president of Ehime University in charge of international relations, Prof. Yasukawa, gave the opening speech outlining the university’s on-going international challenges. He was followed by Assoc. Prof. Itsuki, Director of the Office of Career Support Program for International Students at Ehime University, who introduced a collaborative product development project that international students and companies have been working on as a successful example of the program. The president of Quality Of Life, Mr. Masanori Hara, delivered a keynote speech titled “International Personnel Utilization for Company’s Growth.” He emphasized that more importance should be placed on clarifying their career path and establishing a mentor system to encourage international employees to work longer within a company.

A Panel Discussion Session was followed where Mr. Yuji Takahashi, Chairman of the Board for the Miura Group, and Mr. Daisuke Miyoshi, CEO of the Fellow System, introduced some practical examples of Diversity Personnel Utilization in large and middle-sized corporations respectively. Discussion was facilitated, incorporating ideas from the audience, by Ms. Mana Hotta, the head of an NPO called Work Life Collabo, and Ms. Izumitani, Program Coordinator of the Office of Career Support Program for International Students at Ehime University. It was proposed that middle-sized companies need to change their top management’s attitude toward international personnel utilization while boosting the morale of the workplace is crucial.

We got positive feedback from the participants: “I realized that Diversity Utilization is just what is needed for us.” “I understand that employing international personnel could serve as an opportunity to review conventional rules and systems of the company.”

Everyone attended the closing ceremony of “Career Support Program for International Students” which followed. After seven students who attended received a completion certificate from Prof. Yasukawa, Alumni Scholarship was awarded by Mr. Yuji Takahashi, Chairman of the Ehime University Alumni Association.

The Office of Career Support Program for International Students will continue to provide interactive seminars and audience participation events to promote international personnel development in cooperation with companies and organizations here in Ehime.