"Education Program of IT Engineers for Advanced Manufacturing"

Develop foreign students mainly of information science major as an IT engineer for advanced manufacturing to contribute to the enhancement of competitiveness of the industry in Japan. Invite excellent foreign students from Thailand, Vietnam, China and other Asian countries to provide them with practical education including long-term internship and use materials co-developed with industries in accordance with ITSS and ETSS. Utilize the Information Technology Engineers Examination to guarantee the qualified IT skills.

1. Program for development and demonstration of specialized education program under business-academia collaboration

Create curriculum based on the requirements for knowledge and experience for science and technology for advanced manufacturing in IT industry and implement education under this curriculum. In consideration of the latest needs from partner companies and the contents of current course subjects, focus on the following subjects and design basic curriculum under collaboration of TUAT teaching staff and companies to establish effective education system including visiting lecturers.

◇"Special lecture on Bio-databases"

◇"Special lecture on Practical project management "

◇"Special lecture on Practical Web computing"

◇"Special lecture on Practical embedded system "

◇"Special lecture on Advanced　IT　Bussiness"

◇"Special lecture on Open　Sourse　Software"

2. Business Japanese language / Japanese business education program

Develop basic Japanese language skills effectively by the education methods accumulated in TUAT to advance to Business Japanese language education. Lectures for Business Japanese language education will be held under cooperation with Shinohara Ehle Institute and part-time lecturers specialized mainly in business Japanese language teaching will be in charge of the classes. However, teaching staff of TUAT International Center will be actively involved in the program from a viewpoint of autonomous program, aiming to establish education methods and contents matching the needs of foreign students participating in this program. In addition to the language program, education for cross-cultural communication will be provided by the teaching staff of the International Center to nurture abilities to analyze and respond to the communications in a different culture and education for presentation skills will be also provided to have adaptable fighting potential in a company.

3. Internship program

Program students are to participate in three-month internship in each company after matching between companies and students is conducted. Follow-up guidance will be implemented after internship for the smooth job hunting activities. Furthermore, TUAT staff visit companies a few times during the period of internship to provide support for students and conduct survey on the situation of students and requests from companies. At the end of the fiscal year, companies cooperated in the internship are invited to the Internship report meeting.

4. Job hunting support program

Implement wide range of support for job hunting of foreign students through provision of information, creation of network on and off campus, individual instruction, etc. Hold training seminars and consortium exchange meeting, attended by people with rich and wide range of business experiences including people from Japanese companies, TUAT Career Path Center, Center for Innovation and Intellectual Property and alumni of TUAR (foreign students working in Japanese companies) to provide opportunities for foreign students to learn points to remember during job hunting and after employment, system, custom of Japanese companies, etc. Provide practical classes for how to write application forms for job hunting and how to behave in the job interviews in the Business Japanese language / Japanese business education program. Provide continuous and detailed instructions based on individual needs after starting job hunting by career counselors who understand the situation of each foreign student to deal with the issues individually.

Furthermore, allocate tutors for all the program students to provide detailed advice and instructions on job hunting and to improve effectiveness of the study in this program.

5. Survey program

In order to prepare for the autonomous operation of Career Development Program for Foreign Students in Japan, consign survey on increase and improvements in foreign students in the specified field of IT for advanced manufacturing to Asia SEED, targeting China this year. Details of survey items are as described below:

＊ Survey on attitudes of employees with overseas study experiences who work in Japanese companies or overseas affiliates of Japanese companies in the field of IT for advanced manufacturing

＊ Survey on attitudes of students in overseas universities in the field of IT for advanced manufacturing towards studying in other countries

＊ Survey on promotion of openings for foreign students, targeting Japanese companies in the field of IT for advanced manufacturing

＊ Survey on the situation of Japanese language and business education for students of engineering department in overseas universities

Implement each survey through questionnaires by sampling of 50 cases based on documentary research (target: employees with overseas study experiences who work in Japanese companies or overseas affiliates of Japanese companies, students in overseas universities and overseas Japanese language education institutions) to reflect the results to total coordination for foreign students targeted in the promotion program above.

6. Program to promote foreign students

Establish coordination organizations (overseas bases) and allocate personnel (native advisor) overseas to realize the promotion of foreign students. Since FY 2007, overseas bases have been established in Beijing, Shanghai and Bangkok and visiting teaching staff has been sent to Beijing and Bangkok. Native advisors will be allocated in the countries of Asia. Native advisors will be appointed mainly from TUAT graduates and core teaching staff of Asian universities with experiences of studying in Japan.

International Center, including Asia Engineering School, overseas bases and native advisors will make close communication with TUAT Consortium for "Career Development Program for Foreign Students in Japan" and will be committed to the program for promotion of foreign students with a view to the program after autonomous operation. Enhance the administrative function of Bangkok Office with geographical advantages as a center of overseas bases to recruit foreign students particularly from Asian countries with high potential.

Enhance PR media including brochures and websites for the program to promote foreign students. Focus on the development of measures for the total coordination from PR for recruiting foreign students, introduction of professors to receive them, application for the entrance exam, Japanese language education, business education, studying abroad to career path, under collaboration among overseas bases, native advisors, overseas universities and students.

Take this opportunity to strengthen practical activities with sister universities and deepen exchanges with major overseas universities with alumni and alumnae of TUAT and especially with characteristics in the IT related area to increase the number of sister universities. Furthermore, preparatory Japanese education at the prospective studentsﾕ home countries before enrollment, which is unique to this program, will be implemented in Hanoi, Bangkok, Beijing and Shanghai at the expense of TUAT.

7. Project management program

Establish Project Management Meeting and Meeting for Coordinators of Specialized Education under Business-Academia Collaboration within the consortium to implement the project and programs.

Also, an existing committee of TUAT, Industry-Government-Academia Partnerships Strategy Committee chaired by President of TUAT, will conduct self inspection and evaluation of the project. In addition, External Evaluation Committee consisting of external intellectuals will be established to review the effects of programs and the education to foreign students.

Aim to secure foreign graduate students with high abilities and motivation, develop them as graduates with master's degree or doctorﾕs degree, who have a certain level of Japanese proficiency, understand Japanese corporate culture and who have qualified skills to play a key role in IT for advanced manufacturing, and to send about 10 such graduates to the industries every year.

1. Human resources to be employed in Japanese companies and who can exercise their specialized abilities with Japanese proficiency to adapt to Japanese corporate culture

2. Human resources who can deeply purse the specific field in IT and who have extensive view for the additional related field with abilities to integrate IT and manufacturing from a broad perspective.

3. Human resources who properly understand features and usage of the latest element technology and who can fully demonstrate their all-round abilities.

Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

National University Corporation Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology

TEL：042-388-7772

FAX：042-388-7775

E-mail：asiaprg1@cc.tuat.ac.jp