Presenters, (from left) Jun Kawai, Yurie Makino,
Kiyoto Kiso and Prof. Taketoshi Hibiya
The Strategic Social Education System Laboratory of the SDM Research Institute presented the results of its "self-sustained action" training program in the Shakaijin Kisoryoku (basic business skills) Grand Prix hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry on November 29. After Prof. Hibiya introduced SDM, Jun Kawai (D2), Yurie Makino (M2) and Kiyoto Kiso (M1), all students in the master's program, gave presentations and participated in active discussions with the judges.
A "self-sustained action" training program helps students to acquire the ability to think, set targets, plan and act. More specifically, it teaches recent university graduates how to begin fruitful research and subsequently conduct a successful job hunt. SDM students are taught to design and manage themselves with system engineering methods acquired in lectures and through ALPS. Mentors (mainly working students) asking them questions, help them to find solutions to their problems, and provide moral support as the students refine their goals and work toward them.
Though the SDM team didn't advance to the final, SDM is proud of this achievement; a new laboratory was established based on the SDM students' proposal. They presented their initial results at the Grand Prix and we look forward to hearing more. At the Grand Prix, an engineering university introduced its engineering design project based on technical analysis to solve specific demands made by companies. The existence of such a project and the fact that various companies have chosen to collaborate with SDM on ALPS from this year show that there is a societal need for ALPS-style education. An SDM education, in which students acquire the skills to view problems from a macro perspective and to find inspired solutions for those problems, is only growing in importance.