IUH’s management team took a study tour to learn application of Kosen education in Japan 19-10-2017

Following the agreement between the Industrial University of Ho Chi Minh City (IUH) and the National Institute of Technology, Japan, in corporation with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and being supported by Ministry of Industry and Trade, a team of 23 managers took a study tour to learn application of Kosen education in Japan from Oct 2 to Oct 6, 2017. The team included a representative from the Board of Rector, 11 heads of Functional officies, 07 deans of both economic and engineering faculties, 2 directors of the two institutes and 3 directors of three centers. These are the units had registered to implement and apply Kosen model in their units with three contents: 5S, Problem-based Learning, and Industry Relation.

The team visited Ibaraki College located in Ibaraki and Tokyo College located in Tokyo. At both the two colleges, the team’s members were introduced and observed daily training operation following Kosen education model. Both colleges have large campus, comfortable and clean classrooms; students studying with serious attitude; workshops are equipped various tools and machines, even the old generation ones but in good and effective working condition; library is in good layout and arrangement with portable bookstore and computerlization; all areas in campus, including dorms, are very clean with trees and grass layers. The team also visited some classes, observed some lecture deliverings and listened to some student’s project presenstations. The colleges’ lecturers and staff were very enthusiastic in introducing and sharing experience of PBL implication in training. In addition, the industry-linked departments in both colleges also introduced the team their industry-link daily activities and corresponding files management. Many questions from the team’s members were comprehensively replied by both colleges’ leaders, lecturers and staff.

After visiting the campuses, the team visited (1) one office of Ricoh Group which is one of the world's leading suppliers of office automation equipment, including copiers, facsimile machines, data processing systems, and related supplies to understand its 5S implication, (2) the ThreeBond Fine Chemical Co.,Ltd. which is the operating company for manufacturing chemical products and pre-coating products in Japan, and (3) Japan Quality Assurance Organization (JQA) which is a not-for-profit organization specializing in registration services for ISO management systems as well as safety testing and certification for compliance to a variety of standards, both national and international. The team was introduced 5S’s policy and its existing implication in different areas such as working offices, product research and development, testing, etc., All spaces were in arrangement of logical layout, following the principle of maximizing efficient uses of machines/equipment and spaces. Working support equipments were designed artistically, environment friendly, and safe. The awareness of keeping and remaining everything clean and in good order were very popular to all employees. Leaders of the three organizations also expressed their respectation and high recognization to Kosen’s graduates in term of professional knowledge, skills, and working attitude.

The study tour is considered very meaningful to all team’s members. By observing in reality the Kosen education implication in Kosen colleges and its relationship with industry, more understandings about Kosen were obtained, creating a new drives for those managers themselves in applying the model in their units. Apart from learning from Kosen implication in Japan, the team’s members also had a chance to have more understanding about Japanese people, society, culture, economy, industry, etc., Particularily, people with hospitality, hard working, paying much attention to cleaness and health and safety, respecting to surrounding people, seriously conforming laws, continuou innovation, paying great efforts in recovering natural disasters; a country with advanced development of technology and engineering, impressive economic growth but paying much attention on working safety and environment protection.

Some photos of the study tour:

1. Visiting Ibaraki College, Ibaraki (03/10/2017)