Educational Renaissance / Foreign students aim for tourism jobs
Hiroyuki Ishida and Yuko Ohiro / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writers
The following excerpts are taken from The Yomiuri Shimbun's Educational Renaissance series. This is the second of a three-part sub-series focusing on opportunities for foreign students in Japan:
On a Saturday morning during the last semester, 17 students taking the "sightseeing business projects" course at Rikkyo University's tourism department in Niiza, Saitama Prefecture, were discussing the airline industry. As they spoke, they posted many sticky notes on the wall--on which were written phrases such as "increasing fuel costs" and "high-end customers."
The students were divided into three groups, one of which was led by Chu Yanan, 23, from China. His group discussed what kind of changes the industry would face if women became more active throughout society. He was one of eight foreign students--nearly half of the class--from China, South Korea and Vietnam.
"You should explore what you can suppose based on pieces of information you have just picked up," said lecturer Kazutaka Nasu, 42, who is also a management consultant.
Two weeks earlier, the students attended a briefing session by Japan Airlines employees about the company's medium-term targets and exchanged opinions regarding the business environment surrounding the firm.
Nasu's course requires that, over the year, each of the three groups compile a new business plan for JAL, on which they are to make presentations to the company's employees.
Last year, the tourism department launched a new program to train capable human resources for the nation's tourism industry by collaborating with companies in the field, such as JAL, JTB Corp. and Starwood Hotels Japan Co., an affiliate of the U.S. operator of Sheraton and other well-known hotels.
The program was launched as part of the government's "Career Development Program for Foreign Students from Asia" project, also initiated last year.
Under the project, experts from business and academia work together not only in recruiting and screening excellent students from other Asian countries and offering them Japanese-language training and specialized courses, but also helping them find employment in Japanese companies.
Currently there are 20 collaborative programs under way. Other examples include one between Nagoya Institute of Technology and Toyota Motor Corp. and another between Kyoto's Ritsumeikan University and Matsushita Electric Industries Co.
In the Rikkyo program, JAL employees take charge of a course on the airline business, while those from JTB offer a course on tourism information theory throughout the year. The students also have chances to visit the participating firms and talk directly with their employees.
"I've been studying hard here because my efforts will pave the way for me to find a job [in Japan]," said Shin Wa, 23, another Chinese student.
According to the Tourism Industry Association of Japan, another participating organization in the Rikkyo program, nearly 70 percent of Japanese who made overseas trips in 2007 headed for other Asian countries, while nearly 70 percent of foreign tourists to Japan in that year came from other Asian countries. Therefore, there are plenty of job opportunities in the nation's tourism industry for those from other Asian countries who know Japan's language and culture well.
"As we're facing a population decrease, it's important for Japan to get stimulated by increasing the number of people coming here," said Takashi Hamashima, director at the association's planning and administration department. "We hope that alumni of the program will play a leading role to attract tourists to Japan."
Yoko Iwata, Starwood's regional senior manager on human resources, anticipates that the program will train "students we'd like to hire right after [graduation] as a capable workforce who can perform their duties as soon as they join us."
Nonetheless, not all of the participating companies are ready to commit to hiring the foreign students.
Shingo Kawai, vice president of JAL's Human Resources Development Center, says, "We don't have any plan to give priority to such students in hiring, although we believe that the project can train those who will become appealing to us."
Moreover, when it comes to increasing the number of companies involved in the project, many of those already participating are reluctant to allow their competitors to join.
The success of the government's career development program will surely come down to how much it will be able to help participating foreign students secure jobs in Japan.
Japan Foundation eyes refining of textbooks for foreign students
OSAKA--The Japan Foundation is turning its eyes toward improving Japanese-language instruction for foreigners in specialized fields, expanding its 2006 series of textbooks targeting foreign students studying in Japan.
The textbooks were developed for participants in the Asian Youth Fellowship (AYF) program, which comprises 18 students from 11 countries--the 10 ASEAN countries plus Bangladesh--to supplement their intensive study at the foundation before the start of their individual postgraduate programs.
One textbook, on writing reports, for example, features an exercise on changing spoken language into written form--"iroirona" (various) should be changed to "samazamana," while "shidaini" (gradually) should be used instead of "dandan," and so on.
Another, on presentations, lists frequently used expressions, such as "ippanteki ni wa" (generally speaking). A book on conversations focuses on speaking with professors, and features honorific expressions such as "Ima yoroshii desho ka" (May I bother you for a moment?) and "Otetsudai shimasho ka" (Shall I help you?).
Intended for those who have never studied the language before, the seven-month intensive program for the AYF students is aimed at helping to build the necessary skills for studying in Japan. Because of this, the books keep grammar studies to a minimum.
Three specialists in charge of the program discussed teaching methods during a recent visit by The Yomiuri Shimbun to the the foundation's Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai, in Tajiricho, Osaka Prefecture, where the AYF program is held.
"Maybe we should divide the trainees into science and humanities groups when we teach them how to write reports," Chiharu Izumimoto, 36, one of the three, proposed.
The AYF program offers individualized instruction tailored to each trainee's field of research. To do so, the lecturers make lists of technical terms and teach their students how to read academic papers in each of their specialized fields. "To compile individualized curriculums, we also study the specialized fields of the trainees each of us is in charge of," said Rika Nohata, 36, the chief specialist among the three.
The instructors also have been attempting to improve the textbooks by using input from former students who have gone on to study at Japanese universities. On the day the Yomiuri visited, Nohata was to interview some such students.
Indonesian Nawawi, 31, now a postgraduate student at Mie University, praised the program: "It enables us to keep up with what's going on during courses and to ready ourselves fully for our own research."
The institute has been offering specialized training programs for young researchers, diplomats and public servants before they start to work in Japan.
Based on the knowledge developed in these programs, AYF was launched in 1996, initially offering Japanese-language training to foreign students in their home countries before they came to Japan. The current format of offering the preparatory courses in Japan by using the original materials has been in place since 2006.
In recent years, the Japan Foundation has received an increasing number of inquiries from higher educational institutions that have trouble offering Japanese-language programs for foreign students. "I think it's highly beneficial for universities aiming to increase their number of foreign students to take advantage of our foundation," said Katsumi Kakazu, 57, head of the organization's Japanese-Language Division.
Now that the foundation teaches Japanese at 40 locations in 31 countries--mainly through agreements with local universities--it has set a new target of at least 100 by 2010. Kakazu said the foundation plans to focus more on the original textbooks at these locations in a bid to increase interest in Japan.
(Aug. 7, 2008)
The following excerpts are taken from The Yomiuri Shimbun's Educational Renaissance series. This is the second of a three-part sub-series focusing on opportunities for foreign students in Japan:
On a Saturday morning during the last semester, 17 students taking the "sightseeing business projects" course at Rikkyo University's tourism department in Niiza, Saitama Prefecture, were discussing the airline industry. As they spoke, they posted many sticky notes on the wall--on which were written phrases such as "increasing fuel costs" and "high-end customers."
The students were divided into three groups, one of which was led by Chu Yanan, 23, from China. His group discussed what kind of changes the industry would face if women became more active throughout society. He was one of eight foreign students--nearly half of the class--from China, South Korea and Vietnam.
"You should explore what you can suppose based on pieces of information you have just picked up," said lecturer Kazutaka Nasu, 42, who is also a management consultant.
Two weeks earlier, the students attended a briefing session by Japan Airlines employees about the company's medium-term targets and exchanged opinions regarding the business environment surrounding the firm.
Nasu's course requires that, over the year, each of the three groups compile a new business plan for JAL, on which they are to make presentations to the company's employees.
Last year, the tourism department launched a new program to train capable human resources for the nation's tourism industry by collaborating with companies in the field, such as JAL, JTB Corp. and Starwood Hotels Japan Co., an affiliate of the U.S. operator of Sheraton and other well-known hotels.
The program was launched as part of the government's "Career Development Program for Foreign Students from Asia" project, also initiated last year.
Under the project, experts from business and academia work together not only in recruiting and screening excellent students from other Asian countries and offering them Japanese-language training and specialized courses, but also helping them find employment in Japanese companies.
Currently there are 20 collaborative programs under way. Other examples include one between Nagoya Institute of Technology and Toyota Motor Corp. and another between Kyoto's Ritsumeikan University and Matsushita Electric Industries Co.
In the Rikkyo program, JAL employees take charge of a course on the airline business, while those from JTB offer a course on tourism information theory throughout the year. The students also have chances to visit the participating firms and talk directly with their employees.
"I've been studying hard here because my efforts will pave the way for me to find a job [in Japan]," said Shin Wa, 23, another Chinese student.
According to the Tourism Industry Association of Japan, another participating organization in the Rikkyo program, nearly 70 percent of Japanese who made overseas trips in 2007 headed for other Asian countries, while nearly 70 percent of foreign tourists to Japan in that year came from other Asian countries. Therefore, there are plenty of job opportunities in the nation's tourism industry for those from other Asian countries who know Japan's language and culture well.
"As we're facing a population decrease, it's important for Japan to get stimulated by increasing the number of people coming here," said Takashi Hamashima, director at the association's planning and administration department. "We hope that alumni of the program will play a leading role to attract tourists to Japan."
Yoko Iwata, Starwood's regional senior manager on human resources, anticipates that the program will train "students we'd like to hire right after [graduation] as a capable workforce who can perform their duties as soon as they join us."
Nonetheless, not all of the participating companies are ready to commit to hiring the foreign students.
Shingo Kawai, vice president of JAL's Human Resources Development Center, says, "We don't have any plan to give priority to such students in hiring, although we believe that the project can train those who will become appealing to us."
Moreover, when it comes to increasing the number of companies involved in the project, many of those already participating are reluctant to allow their competitors to join.
The success of the government's career development program will surely come down to how much it will be able to help participating foreign students secure jobs in Japan.
Japan Foundation eyes refining of textbooks for foreign students
OSAKA--The Japan Foundation is turning its eyes toward improving Japanese-language instruction for foreigners in specialized fields, expanding its 2006 series of textbooks targeting foreign students studying in Japan.
The textbooks were developed for participants in the Asian Youth Fellowship (AYF) program, which comprises 18 students from 11 countries--the 10 ASEAN countries plus Bangladesh--to supplement their intensive study at the foundation before the start of their individual postgraduate programs.
One textbook, on writing reports, for example, features an exercise on changing spoken language into written form--"iroirona" (various) should be changed to "samazamana," while "shidaini" (gradually) should be used instead of "dandan," and so on.
Another, on presentations, lists frequently used expressions, such as "ippanteki ni wa" (generally speaking). A book on conversations focuses on speaking with professors, and features honorific expressions such as "Ima yoroshii desho ka" (May I bother you for a moment?) and "Otetsudai shimasho ka" (Shall I help you?).
Intended for those who have never studied the language before, the seven-month intensive program for the AYF students is aimed at helping to build the necessary skills for studying in Japan. Because of this, the books keep grammar studies to a minimum.
Three specialists in charge of the program discussed teaching methods during a recent visit by The Yomiuri Shimbun to the the foundation's Japanese-Language Institute, Kansai, in Tajiricho, Osaka Prefecture, where the AYF program is held.
"Maybe we should divide the trainees into science and humanities groups when we teach them how to write reports," Chiharu Izumimoto, 36, one of the three, proposed.
The AYF program offers individualized instruction tailored to each trainee's field of research. To do so, the lecturers make lists of technical terms and teach their students how to read academic papers in each of their specialized fields. "To compile individualized curriculums, we also study the specialized fields of the trainees each of us is in charge of," said Rika Nohata, 36, the chief specialist among the three.
The instructors also have been attempting to improve the textbooks by using input from former students who have gone on to study at Japanese universities. On the day the Yomiuri visited, Nohata was to interview some such students.
Indonesian Nawawi, 31, now a postgraduate student at Mie University, praised the program: "It enables us to keep up with what's going on during courses and to ready ourselves fully for our own research."
The institute has been offering specialized training programs for young researchers, diplomats and public servants before they start to work in Japan.
Based on the knowledge developed in these programs, AYF was launched in 1996, initially offering Japanese-language training to foreign students in their home countries before they came to Japan. The current format of offering the preparatory courses in Japan by using the original materials has been in place since 2006.
In recent years, the Japan Foundation has received an increasing number of inquiries from higher educational institutions that have trouble offering Japanese-language programs for foreign students. "I think it's highly beneficial for universities aiming to increase their number of foreign students to take advantage of our foundation," said Katsumi Kakazu, 57, head of the organization's Japanese-Language Division.
Now that the foundation teaches Japanese at 40 locations in 31 countries--mainly through agreements with local universities--it has set a new target of at least 100 by 2010. Kakazu said the foundation plans to focus more on the original textbooks at these locations in a bid to increase interest in Japan.
(Aug. 7, 2008)
Comments