A higher education career services researcher from Japan toured the Anderson University Center for Career Development today as part of a fact-finding trip to explore how Anderson supports students through job searches.
Ken Horino, who works for the Career Design Center Administration Office at Senshu University in Japan, is exploring how students find internships, and how universities conduct career fairs and organize career-focused events on campus.
Horino also shared his own experiences about career planning among Japanese universities. Beginning in 2021, the Japanese government will abolish a long-held rule that directs university graduates in their post-graduate job hunt, he said. The change will radically influence how Japanese universities equip their students for the workforce.
Currently, all students of Japanese universities begin their job search at the same time during their junior year. After the rule is abolished next year, companies will begin recruiting year-round and employment will be more competitive for recent graduates. Companies will expect students to have more job skills and experience upon graduation. This new model resembles the job search process that students of U.S. universities face.
As Horino prepares his students at Shenshu University for the impending changes in national hiring practices, he has turned to U.S. universities to learn how career centers help their students secure jobs. Anderson University is among the universities Horino has chosen for his study.
The Center for Career Development welcomed Horino to AU. He met with staff from the Center for Career Development, the Center for Global Engagement and Student Development.
Horino plans to implement his research at Senshu University and lead Japanese university career centers in adapting to the forthcoming change.
Horino’s visit follows the Center for Career Development’s launch of AU PRO (Professional Readiness Opportunities), which is a Quality Enhancement Program designed to improve student preparation for the working world through a set of co-curricular opportunities.