2021 Takahashi River Basin Work Style Discovery Marche "Kurabo-Ro" First Lecture Report ~ Learn About Telework and Find a Work Style That Suits You

The terms "telework" and "workation" have become more commonly heard.

With the advancement of IT technology and the spread of the novel coronavirus infection, new ways of working using the internet are becoming widespread.

On the other hand, those who are distant from the internet may feel a high barrier, thinking, "It seems difficult," or "Can telework be done in rural areas?"

In the Takahashi River basin, an event called Takahashi River Basin Work Style Discovery Marche Kurabo-ro (hereafter, Kurabo-ro) is currently being held to promote new ways of working using the internet.

As someone who is currently working using the internet, I participated in the first "Basic Course on Home Work"!

In the first half of the article, I will report on the course, and in the second half, I will provide an interview with Yoko Seno (the head of the Gender Equality Promotion Division of Kurashiki City), the organizer.

There should be many discoveries, as it is a working style that "anyone can challenge!"

What is the Takahashi River Basin Work Style Marche Kurabo-ro?

Kurabo-ro offers courses aimed at local people who want to reconsider their work purpose while raising children or doing housework, acquire skills of interest, or find new ways of working.

From July 20, 2021 (Tuesday) to December 21, 2021 (Tuesday), nine courses will be held mainly on Saturdays and Sundays.

There are a total of 13 days scheduled, and in addition to the courses, "Work Style Tea Meetings" and "Individual Consultation Meetings" are also planned.

The courses are divided into three categories: "Vision," "Skills," and "Knowledge."

Vision

Seminar on Future Work Styles

Skills

Web Publishing Course
Design Course
Online Secretary and Administrative Agency Course
Video Editing Course
Graphic Recorder Course
Basic Home Work
Practical Home Work

Knowledge

Home Work Course from a Tax Perspective

You can think about "What kind of working style do I want?" and learn practical skills, gaining a broad understanding of working styles using the internet.

Kurabo-ro is held as part of Kurashiki City's "Takahashi River Basin Women's Active Participation Promotion Project."

Although it is a project to promote women's participation, anyone can participate regardless of gender.

Expanded Options for Working: "Basic Course on Home Work"

The Basic Course on Home Work is held with the theme "Let's Find My Telework."

The flow of the day was as follows:

Self-introduction
What is Telework (Home Work)?
How to Find Work
The Reality of Home Work
How to Increase Income?
Feedback Sharing Time

The first self-introduction was by Hiroshi Sakanoue, the instructor for this course.

He is also the representative of the general incorporated association Takahashi River Presenter.

Mr. Sakanoue encountered the internet when he was 20 years old.

He worked part-time responding to customer emails at a company that handled mobile phones.

From that experience, Mr. Sakanoue realized that with the internet, work could be done anywhere, and later worked from home and even used the working holiday system to do Japanese work overseas.

On the other hand, most participants were beginners in home work.

"I want to work from home while raising children."

"I want to move to an island."

"I want to work overseas."

The purposes for participating varied.

Most participants were women, and they seemed to have joined hoping it would be a trigger to think about their own working styles.

The course began with the question, "What is telework in the first place?"

The term "telework" itself is a coined word, derived from "tele = from a distance" and "work = to work."

I learned that one type of telework is "home work."

I decided to investigate what kind of job offers are available for home work.

I used a cloud sourcing service called "CrowdWorks" to look it up.

When I searched for "writer," there were actually 45,286 listings on the day of the lecture!

When I searched for "writer camp," I was able to narrow it down to 654 listings.

"It's easier to find jobs in areas of interest if you search for professions along with your strengths and hobbies," said Mr. Sakanoue.

Although there was a break afterward, participants were very interested in the job listings.

Many seemed to be seeing CrowdWorks for the first time and were curious about what kind of listings were available.

There are other ways to find work besides cloud sourcing services.

Previous employer
Previous clients
Acquaintances
SNS postings
Your own website

I felt that there are many options for working that I had just not known about before.

According to Mr. Sakanoue, an important aspect of teleworking is to create a suitable environment.

He emphasized that gaining the understanding of family is crucial.

He mentioned that showing the family the job details on a website makes it easier to gain their understanding.

And what is concerning is how to increase income.

We shared opinions on "how to increase income."

Prove skill improvement
Combine multiple skills
Expand your network
Find places that value your work highly
Create work that brings joy and is unique to you

Upon reflection, it seems there are various methods to increase income.

There were also many opportunities to share ideas such as "Let's identify the work processes and think of ways to increase income" and "Let's consider ways to achieve stable income."

At the end, there was also time for participants to share their impressions.

"Telework has become more familiar!"

"The range of my career has expanded!"

"I learned how to find telework, and I feel like I can challenge myself!"

These were some of the impressions shared.

Although most of the participants were beginners in home work, they seemed to have gained a solid understanding of the reality.

It seems to have provided a trigger for considering working styles that fit their respective lifestyles.

After this, I spoke with Yoko Seno (the head of the Gender Equality Promotion Division of Kurashiki City) and Tadasi Takatsuka (the deputy head) about their thoughts on "Kurabo-ro."

Read the Interview

Data on Takahashi River Basin Work Style Discovery Marche Kurabo-ro

2021 Takahashi River Basin Work Style Discovery Marche 'Kurabo-ro' First Course Report - Let's Learn About Telework and Find a Working Style That Suits You