Winners Decided in the Third Career Education AwardsRecognition of Excellent Education Support Activities by Industry

Grand Award (selected from the three winners of the METI Minister's Award)

Nerima Animation Association, Nerima Ward
Project name: A collaboration project between the animation industry and education in Nerima Ward

Jury's comments:

･The association provides children with an opportunity for directly realizing what a professional level of excellence is, while taking advantage of local industry.

･It also provides extensive education guidance and training workshops for teachers with flexible programs, which can be readily introduced into schools.

･It establishes programs in collaboration with people involved in schools, from elementary schools to colleges, enterprises and NPOs in communities.

First Award for Excellence (METI Minister's Award)

Popularization type career education sector:

Sharp Corporation
Project name: Career education support activities for schools for special needs education and other organizations for children with disabilities

Jury's comments:

･The company has achieved a socially valuable program that creates and disseminates programs about career education in schools for special needs education where schools find it difficult to promote such education by their own efforts alone.

･It has also delivered many results through building organized systems, such as internal programs in which employees are authorized as instructors.

Regional network type career education sector:

Nerima Animation Association, Nerima Ward
Project name: A collaboration project between the animation industry and education in Nerima Ward

Region based career education sector:

Chemical Yamamoto Co., Ltd.
Project name: Exciting chemistry club

Jury's comments

･Each year the company has consistently conveyed messages that engage an interest chemistry and that stress the importance of research to the same number of local children as employees.

･It has been actively conducting such programs, despite the fact that special care needs to be observed in conducting science experiments for children, so its contribution should be recognized.

･Such activities are good examples that should be disseminated, in which experienced elderly people lead and foster the young in communities.

Award for Excellence

Popularization type career education sector:

Kao Corporation
Project name: Homemaking

Jury's comments

･The company provides a systematic program, which is able to be readily introduced in school curriculums.

･The program is meaningful since it provides an opportunity for children to recognize that not only society but also households play career providing roles.

Sony Life Insurance Co., Ltd.
Project name: Lessons about life planning

Jury's comments:

･The company provides activities that take advantage of practical experiences as a life-planner.

･It consults children about having a dream from an adult's perspective, including various risks in society, an outstanding point that should be recognized.

Regional network type career education sector:

Junior Chamber International Ota
Project name: Let's take actions toward your future and create your own company!

Jury's comments:

･The activities contribute to the revitalization of industries in communities.

･The entity has been conducting such activities while being involved with various people in communities.

The Tokyo Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI)
Project name: Practicing career education support activities with the full effort of the Tokyo-CCI

Jury's comments

･Activities include comprehensive career education, not only from elementary through to high school, but also at colleges, which provide opportunities for students to familiarize themselves about SMEs as future workplaces.

･The entity committed to networking enterprises, leading to providing various types of contents.

Region-based career education sector:

Ehime Association of Small and Medium Business Entrepreneurs
Project name: Conveying educational power of SMEs in communities to children: changing children, enterprises, and managers through the educational power of labor and the workplace

Jury's comments

･The activities are conducted broadly throughout Ehime Prefecture, so they are considered to have been widely disseminated.

･Children are able to get a feeling of what working really is is through communication with regional enterprises.

Award for Encouragement

Popularization type career education sector:

Japan Challenge Education Association
Project name: Challenge cup programs

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Project name: Education renaissance: Lessons for the language

Region based career education sector:

Azsa LLC.
Project name: A corporate social responsibility (CSR) career education project: A dreams-come-true school

SB Energy Corporation
Project name: Future x Energy project

Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.
Project name: Home and environments: A study program

A total of 38 entries were submitted from 30 companies/organizations by the closing date on December 20, 2012. According to the examination criteria specified in the application requirements, the jury examined the entry sheets in advance and selected eight successful applicants to grant the Award for Excellence.

In addition, at the Symposium for Partnerships for Career Education Promotion held on February 19, 2013, at Akio Suzuki Memorial Hall, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, the jury examined the eight winners of the Award for Excellence based on their case presentations and decided the winners of the First Award for Excellence and the Grand Award.

Note: For an introduction to winners' activities, see the Appendix (in Japanese).

Commendation ceremony

A certificate of commendation was granted to the winner by Mr. Isshu Sugawara, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry

A ceremonial photograph of the commendation ceremony for the Awards

News release on the invitation of applicants for the Awards (in Japanese)

Career education means education to promote career development toward the social and occupational independence of every student through fostering the requisite capabilities and attitude as the required foundation for success (excerpts from a report titled "Career and Occupational Education at Schools in the Future" by Central Council for Education, January 2011). Specifically, the career education contains, in addition to direct occupational experience such as occupational experience activities and internships, activities to have students learn about links between school lessons on the Japanese lanugage, mathematics, science, etc. and actual society.

February 20, 2013

Human Resources Policy Office, Economic and Industrial Policy Bureau