On Friday, 11 October, 2019, SUCCESS-Osaka held an event called “Future Design II” at Namba Sky, O. International Students from Kansai University (KU), Osaka University, Osaka Prefecture University (OPU) and Osaka City University (OCU) presented business plans they created based on their experiences as interns in Japanese companies. 3rd year student Guan Xinning from the OCU Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences won the grand prize with her partner from OPU.

Under the theme “Sustainable Development Goals“ (SDG), Future Design II is a training program where international students build business plans that address social issues they discover while they are interns at companies in the Osaka and Kansai area.

Ms. Guan’s team, proposed solutions that addressed issues of manpower shortage in elderly care services in Osaka. They focused on the differences in “nursing care” between Japan and China. While “nursing care” exists as a profession in Japan, in China it is more commonly seen as a responsibility of the family. Many of Chinese nursing school students get jobs at hospitals, but the turnover rates are high as they are not well paid. 

Ms. Guan’s team considered that the excess manpower in China could be utilized in the nursing industry in Japan, which is suffering from a manpower shortage. They conducted nursing care tours and proposed a business plan that would bring Chinese workers to Japan as a nursing care staff. They met with company representatives six times before making their presentation. 

Ms. Guan says “It was difficult to narrow down the various issues behind SDG and make an effective presentation. However, it was worth the challenge as we gained confidence. Through the SUCCESS program, my desire to be employed in Japan got stronger and my understanding of Japanese society deepened as I was able to interact with many small and medium-sized enterprises that I was not interested in before."

It is such an honor that an OCU student‘s idea towards addressing a SDG issue has been so highly evaluated. Ms. Guan's team's success shows that interest in dealing with SDG’s issues have reached a global scale and it is expected that SUCCESS-Osaka programs will provide support for many more international students. 

From left: Professor Keiko Ikeda, Kansai University Division of International Affairs
Guan Xinning, OCU Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences 3rd year student 
Zhang Zhexiong, Osaka Prefecture University student 

◆SUCCESS-Osaka Programs
Programs that provide employment support for international students. Co-operated by Kansai University, Osaka Prefecture University and Osaka City University since 2017. Support includes lectures on Japanese language and business manners, providing opportunities for internships and employment search activities, etc.. Please contact the OCU Career Center for the details.