Tokyo Tech News
Tokyo Tech News
Published: February 15, 2019
Tokyo Tech's international students were provided with an opportunity to meet with representatives of overseas business at Career Talk, an information exchange event held at the Institute's Ookayama Campus on January 24. Supported by the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), the event was organized by the Innovator and Inventor Development Platform and the Student Support Center.
Information sharing and discussion at company booths
According to an annual JETRO survey on the business environment in Japan, foreign-affiliated companies consistently cite "the difficulty of securing human resources" as an obstacle to doing business in the country. Employing science-oriented personnel who are fluent in foreign languages is particularly difficult. The government is working on policy proposals to help increase employment of international students who want to work in Japan. Against this backdrop, Tokyo Tech has been organizing information exchanges between its international students and foreign-owned companies for approximately 10 years, providing valuable opportunities to both parties. With updated content and more participants, this year was the first time the Institute teamed up with JETRO for the event.
This year, Ericsson Japan (Sweden), Proctor and Gamble Japan (US), and Micron Memory Japan, G.K. (US), and 25 other companies set up booths at Centennial Hall to hold discussions with roughly 250 Tokyo Tech students attending the event.
Feedback was excellent from both students and potential employers. Students were pleased to learn about internships and other opportunities at the participating companies, and to discuss the human resource needs of businesses face to face. Company representatives considered the event particularly meaningful because most participants demonstrated exactly what 90 percent of overseas-based companies are looking for — a strong science-related background.
Tokyo Tech and JETRO signed a collaborative agreement in May 2018 "to enhance the economy of Japan and develop professionals active on the world stage." In support of this accelerating trend, Tokyo Tech looks to continue bringing students together with companies through information sharing events and more guest lectures by employees of foreign-affiliated companies.
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