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APU has been selected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology (MEXT) for the 2006 Contemporary Good Practice Award. Since its inception, APU has maintained a very high profile. In 2003 APU received Characteristic GP funding for promoting its Bilingual Education System on a Multicultural Campus, followed in 2004 by the Contemporary GP for Promoting Student Mobility. Vice President NAKANO Masahiro speaks about this year's award-winning project. |
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| In recent years, universities have had to focus more energy on promoting uniqueness and diversity as well as becoming more competitive internationally. Themes for Contemporary GP subsidies are set based on the needs of society in order to provide financial support to promote the development of talented human resources who will become the leaders of the next generation. This year applications were submitted on 6 different themes including Promoting Integrated Career Education and Contributing to Community Revitalization. Of those, 176 applications were submitted on the theme of Promoting Integrated Career Education, and only 33, or 18.8%, were chosen. |
| Tell us about the objectives and characteristics of this year's project |
| The main objective of APU's project for Promoting Career Education for Global Human Resources Development is to design structured career education systems that integrate language ability, intercultural communication and major education. In doing this, APU will provide career education that puts to use our unique characteristics, namely our internationally diverse student body, our multicultural campus and our bilingual education system. The most important aspect will be the measures we take to show students how the specialized knowledge they have obtained can be put to use in the real world via internships and cooperative lectures developed with our external partners. Through these endeavors, we aim to conduct practical, integrated career education by melding career and major education in many new and different ways, not just by offering career development subjects. |
| What exactly will APU do? |
APU will conduct practical, integrated career education at every stage from student admission to graduation.
In the first year, we will hold career guidance sessions for all newly enrolled students. All students will be required to complete a Career Chart to help them get an image of their career objectives and their 4-year course of study.
In the 2nd year, students can enroll in the regular curriculum subject "Occupational Awareness and Career Development" and receive career counseling. This will provide students with an understanding of what it means to work in the real world and make them think about what subjects they will need to take to meet their career goals.
In the 3rd year, students will learn about career options in the regular curriculum subject "Overview of Business Sectors in Japan" and in cooperative lectures held in conjunction with our corporate partners. Students will also gain hands-on experience during internships, using their seminar classes to share what they have learned. At this stage, almost all students will attend another career guidance session that will help them design a career path out of what they have been studying.
Finally in the 4th year, APU will conduct on-campus recruiting (APU welcomed 266 companies in 2005) and provide students with the support they need to secure the career they have envisioned.
In addition, we will make use of our student records system to support career education endeavors through comprehensive individual counseling on study, student life and career development. |
| What points of this project are particularly noteworthy? |
Building on APU's experiences, we shall institute systematic career education from the freshmen year and link this to major education. With our major focus on creating a career education model for international students, this global human resources development project is sure to garner widespread attention. In addition to our international students, we are also striving to provide our domestic students with the global mindset they need to work throughout the Asia Pacific region. This is an equally important part of the project, and we believe that it will be well received.
It has been pointed out that a major issue for international students studying in Japan is the lack of jobs after graduation. This is not just a problem for the students themselves, but it is a serious issue for the host communities and the entire nation of Japan.
This project's grand aims to integrate language ability and intercultural communication with major education and to provide hands-on experience through internships and cooperative lectures with our corporate partners are sure to improve the situation for international students who want to work in Japan. These points were given high marks by the GP Selection Committee. |
| The APU education system has a good reputation, but we did not gain recognition until we started sending our graduates all over the world. Their pro-active attitudes and leadership skills in various fields have reflected positively on APU. We intend to continue providing the unique, student-centered education that we are renowned for and producing graduates who can succeed in the global arena. |
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| <Promoting Career Education for Global Human Resources Development> |
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APU Selected for the 2006 MEXT Contemporary Good Practice Award |
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