Reiwa 8 Year Corporate Learning Workshop (held on June 12, 2026) – A hands-on class to see, hear, and experience the work in Kurashiki, expanding options for employment.

What kind of companies are in the town where we live, and what kind of people work there?

For junior high and high school students, opportunities to learn about local companies are surprisingly limited. While it may be covered in class, there are few chances to interact directly with companies.

In Kurashiki City, local companies visit junior high and high schools to convey the appeal of their work through hands-on classes called Corporate Learning Workshops.

The author covered a workshop held at Okayama Prefectural Kurashiki Kojoike High School (hereinafter referred to as "Kurashiki Kojoike High School") on June 12, 2026. Here is an introduction to the day's events.

What is the Corporate Learning Workshop?

The Corporate Learning Workshop is a hands-on class conducted at junior high and high schools in Kurashiki City and Hayashima Town.

Local companies serve as instructors, conveying the appeal of various jobs to junior and senior high school students. It is characterized not only by lectures but also by opportunities to interact with adults working in the field and to experience actual work.

It is held as part of the Kurashiki City Career Education Promotion Project.

Kurashiki City Career Education Promotion Project
To foster a sense of vocation from a young age and promote understanding of work rules, experts such as social insurance labor consultants and career consultants are dispatched to junior high and high schools to conduct "basic courses" where students learn about the knowledge and rules of work. Additionally, local companies visit schools to help students understand the benefits and appeal of local employment, allowing them to experience actual tasks through the "Corporate Learning Workshop."

Source: Kurashiki City Official Website
Creating - Investment in People - Kurashiki City Career Education Promotion Project

In the 2026 fiscal year, it is scheduled to be held 23 times.

The author covered the "Corporate Learning Workshop" held at Kurashiki Kojoike High School on June 12, 2026. The participating companies on that day were as follows:

• <＜Medical＞ Mizushima Cooperative Hospital
• <＜Social Welfare and Nursing Care＞ Soshinkai Co., Ltd.
• <＜Food Service＞ Furuiichi Co., Ltd.
• <＜Travel and Tourism Resource Development＞ Yoshiiya BASE Co., Ltd.
• <＜Wholesale of Electrical Equipment, etc.＞ Eguchi Electric Co., Ltd.
• <＜Construction and Local Resource Utilization＞ Ishida Construction Co., Ltd.
• <＜Manufacturing (Steel Equipment)＞ Shin-Nichiro Co., Ltd.
• <＜Manufacturing (Vibration Control)＞ Kurashiki Kako Co., Ltd.
• <＜Manufacturing (Casting)＞ Akioka Co., Ltd.
• <＜Textiles＞ KANKO GAKUSEIFUKU CO., LTD.
• <＜Management (Entrepreneurship)＞ Startup Lab
• <＜Community Development＞ MPM Lab.
• <＜Education and Welfare＞ Mizushima Children's Cafeteria Misora♪
• <＜Environmental Conservation＞ Mizushima Foundation
• <＜Finance＞ Mizushima Shinkin Bank

The Day's Events

The students participating in the Corporate Learning Workshop are first-year high school students. They can attend two classes of their choice.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the author was allowed to visit various booths.

＜Medical＞ Mizushima Cooperative Hospital

Mizushima Cooperative Hospital presented a class that clearly conveyed "how to help patients" in a theatrical manner.

Using a patient named Kojoike as an example, they carefully explained what kind of care is provided at the hospital by each profession.

When thinking of people who work in a hospital, one might imagine doctors and nurses. However, the jobs related to patients are not limited to those roles; various medical professionals such as pharmacists, registered dietitians, and dental hygienists are also involved.

It becomes clear that various professionals collaborate, utilizing their respective specialties to support patients as a team.

This class provided an opportunity to learn about the many professions involved in a hospital and the roles each one plays.

＜Social Welfare and Nursing Care＞ Soshinkai Co., Ltd.

Soshinkai Co., Ltd. is a company that develops businesses such as child support, disability support, nursing care, and community development. They support healthy living for all generations, from 0 to 100 years old.

The class was held in the gymnasium and was divided into three booths:

• Experience riding/pushing a wheelchair
• Vision training
• Learning about occupational therapy

In the wheelchair experience booth, lively voices were heard. Some students, excited to try a wheelchair they rarely get to use, exclaimed, "Wow!" while others pushing the wheelchair struggled, saying, "It's hard to turn corners!"

In the vision training session, students were loudly playing rock-paper-scissors. It seemed that they had to intentionally lose to the staff by playing after them.

This series of training exercises, which involves processing visual information and immediately moving the body, is said to be effective for a wide range of generations, including preventing nursing care and promoting child development.

In the booth where students learned about occupational therapy, there was a thorough explanation of the job responsibilities and working environment of occupational therapists. It became clear that occupational therapists are indispensable in welfare and nursing care settings.

The class balanced experiential learning and theoretical learning, and the students seemed to enjoy participating.

＜Manufacturing (Vibration Control)＞ Kurashiki Kako Co., Ltd.

Kurashiki Kako Co., Ltd. conducted a class where students learned about earthquake-resistant structures through paper crafts.

Using paper and plastic bottle caps, they created four types of structural models. They worked together in groups to create beautiful shapes.

Once completed, the instructor explained, "The technologies to prevent shaking are broadly categorized into three types: seismic isolation, base isolation, and vibration control." They learned about the characteristics of each vibration by shaking their creations.

When told, "There are also measures to prevent shaking in the school building you are in," the students all looked out the window. They saw diagonal columns on the walls of the school building that seemed to provide reinforcement.

It became clear that there are various measures to suppress shaking in our immediate surroundings.

In daily life, there may be few moments when we consciously think about "shaking." However, by suppressing the subtle vibrations of cars and buildings, we can live comfortably and safely without discomfort.

By suppressing the vibrations that lurk in our daily lives, Kurashiki Kako supports our way of living as an unsung hero. It was a lesson where we could easily learn about the challenges of shaking that companies are tackling and their countermeasures.

＜Manufacturing Industry (Casting)＞ Akioka Co., Ltd.

In the class of Akioka Co., Ltd., which supports various manufacturing with casting technology, students were experiencing the process of making castings.

In mold making, dense sand is tightly packed, and a wooden lid is placed on top before flipping it over. Once the wooden lid is gently removed without spilling the sand, it is complete. It may seem simple at first glance, but it appears that there is quite a knack to making the mold without the sand collapsing.

Next, we move on to the task of pouring melted metal into the mold. Pouring the right amount perfectly is more difficult than imagined, and there were moments when it overflowed. The students are focused on this delicate task.

When the person in charge said, "You're doing well," the students looked pleased.

Finally, we check the quality of the completed casting.

Identical bells of the same shape and size are lined up on the table. Although they all look the same, when struck with a hammer, there were significant differences in sound, ranging from high-pitched to slightly lower tones.

The students were surprised and struck the bells repeatedly to hear the sound.

Even if they look well-made, the most important thing in the end is quality. We learned that the manufacturing of castings requires meticulous skills. Experiencing and learning about the difficulties and dedication of manufacturing may be the essence of the corporate learning experience.

＜Textile Industry＞ KANKO GAKUSEIFUKU CO., LTD.

At KANKO GAKUSEIFUKU CO., LTD., one of Japan's leading school uniform manufacturers, after breaking the ice with a quiz related to the company, an experiential lesson was held to produce future uniforms.

If I could freely create a school uniform, I would first think about the design. However, in the actual field, it is necessary to create school uniforms tailored to each school while considering functionality, after-sales service, and elements conscious of the region and resources.

The students were divided into groups to think about the uniforms they would like to wear. One group mentioned from a parent's perspective, "It would be nice to have a uniform that is easy to wash!"

Since incorporating all elements would increase costs, the challenge lies in how well they can balance the production. Each group was producing their original school uniforms while exchanging opinions.

It was a lesson that made it clear that the school uniforms we wear every day are packed with the company's dedication.

＜Management (Entrepreneurship)＞ Entrepreneurship Lab

I also observed a class of the Entrepreneurship Lab taught by the Okayama University Entrepreneurship Club. The speakers were three current university students who are also entrepreneurs.

In the class, after learning about the flow of starting a business, they were practically thinking of new businesses in group work.

Step 1 in thinking about a business is to start by expanding the imagination of "what you truly want to do" or "what kind of world you would like to see."

Next, in Step 2, they look for their unique weapons, such as their strengths or things they love that no one else can match.

Finally, by combining their imagination and their unique weapons, they think about "whose" and "what kind of" problems they can solve, which leads to the birth of new businesses.

For first-year high school students, entrepreneurship may be a job that is hard to imagine. However, hearing from students who have actual entrepreneurial experience conveyed the charm of entrepreneurship, which can shape "what would be nice to have."

High school students who took the Entrepreneurship Lab class may one day find the option of entrepreneurship budding within them as they grow into adults.

Imagining a future where new businesses are born in the community is exciting.

Conclusion

The experiential classes prepared by companies were full of learning opportunities that even an adult writer would want to participate in, and high school students were enjoying the lessons.

I believe it was a valuable opportunity for high school students to learn not only about the existence of companies but also about the appeal and challenges of various jobs, as well as their roles in society.

It seems that the corporate learning program will also be implemented in the 2027 academic year.

I think it would be wonderful if the corporate learning program could increase the future options for middle and high school students, even just a little.

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