On Tuesday, March 26, 2024, the “Symposium for the Promotion of Advanced Skilled Foreign Professionals Aimed at Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in Local Regions and Creation of Industrial Innovation” was held online as a commemorative event for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology’s “Program for Enhancing Employment of International Students FY2023,” which was adopted in November 2023. The symposium was jointly planned and implemented by the Office of Career Development Program for International Students, Ehime University, and Ability Center Inc., a participating organization in the program. A total of 39 participants, including representatives from Ehime University, other universities, companies, economic organizations, local governments, and related organizations from across Japan, attended the event.
After the opening remarks and introductions of the speakers by Professor Mitsunobu Kazuhiro, Director of the Institute for International Relations, Professor Yuki Megumi, Director of the Career Support Office, Student Service Center, Organization for Higher Education and Student Services, Gunma University, delivered a keynote speech titled “For Creating a System That Encourages International Students to Choose ‘Regional’ as Their Place of Employment.” She discussed practical efforts to promote multiculturalism and support the career development of international students through collaboration between industry, government, and academia, leveraging the unique regional characteristics of Gunma Prefecture.
This was followed by a panel discussion on the theme “What Stakeholders Need to Do to Promote D&I (Diversity and Inclusion) in Local Regions and to Promote the Activities of Advanced Skilled Foreign Professionals Aimed at Creating Industrial Innovation.” The panel featured Professor Inokuma Takao, Vice Chair of the Working Group for the Project to Promote Employment of Foreign Students, Faculty of Electrical, Information and Communication Engineering, Institute of Science and Engineering, Kanazawa University; Mr. Morishita Yuki, Special Lecturer in charge of B-JET, Foreign ICT Engineer Human Resource Development Program, Center for International Relations, Organization for Global Collaboration, Miyazaki University; Dr. Elvis Anup Shukla, Representative Director, Imeiyo GK; Mr. Shiraishi Tatsuru, Director and Sales Manager, Ability Center Inc.; and Ms. Itsuki Tomoko, Manager of the Office of Career Development Program for International Students, Ehime University. The speakers shared information and exchanged opinions from the perspectives of universities and companies, discussing their unique efforts to foster advanced skilled foreign professionals, help them settle in local regions, and address the challenges they face. They also proposed ways to utilize advanced skilled foreign professionals from the viewpoint of foreign nationals.
The event concluded on a high note with closing remarks by Dr. Izumitani Michiko, Assistant Manager and Promotion Coordinator of the Office of Career Development Program for International Students, Ehime University.
In a post-event questionnaire, participants made comments such as: “In the keynote speech by Professor Yuki, I learned from her practical examples that it is important to encourage international students to change their mindset, as their attachment to the community fosters their willingness to work there.” Another participant stated, “Just because they are foreign human resources does not make them special. It is essential to ensure that they can work and live properly as human beings. I thought it was very important not only to gather people but also to understand their needs and reflect them in the program.”
The Office of Career Development Program for International Students will continue to support international students in their efforts to find employment.
＜Institute for International Relations,
Office of Career Development Program for International Students＞