On Monday, September 9th, a report session was held for the "Theme-Based Corporate Understanding Program" with the theme "Local Cuisine x Kansai University of International Studies."
This program is a commissioned project by Hyogo Prefecture, with the cooperation of the University Consortium Hyogo Kobe and five well-known food companies based in Kobe.
The purpose was to "learn about the food industry from the industry perspective and the perspective of Kobe companies.".
Twenty students from the Department of Business Administration at our Amagasaki campus participated in the event, which took place from Friday, August 20nd to Monday, September 8th.
The program begins with students taking an etiquette course and a food industry research course on campus.
Afterwards, the students undertook practical training at each of the partner companies. Rather than simply observing, the students had a valuable opportunity to practice business etiquette, deepen their understanding of the roles of manufacturers and trading companies, product development, and distribution and sales.
Here's what I learned at each company I visited:
MCC Foods Co., Ltd.: We learned in depth about commercial food technology through videos and tastings.
Rock Field Co., Ltd.: We experienced branding strategies for prepared foods and measures to combat food waste.
Tominaga Trading Co., Ltd.: I learned about business mechanisms through sales skills and shelf allocation models.
Kanetetsu Delica Foods Co., Ltd.: We considered the evolution of "Nerimono" product development and its future vision.
Rokko Butter Co., Ltd.: We considered ideas from a student's perspective regarding the operation of the Kobe factory tour building.
After visiting each company and completing the practical training, the participants reflected on their experiences and wrote reports as part of their post-training, and then the day of the report session arrived.
The report session was attended by representatives from the Hyogo Prefecture Industrial and Labor Department's Labor Policy and Welfare Division, the Hyogo Kobe University Consortium, and the five companies that assisted in hosting the trainees.
The words "re-internalization is important," used in the opening address by our university's President, Atsushi Hamana, became an important keyword for the entire presentation.
The presentations were made by student representatives from each company.
The students shared their profound realizations, such as, "The accumulation of small innovations supports food safety," "It's not enough to just communicate; it has to be communicated; it's meaningless," and "All five companies are trying to create products that will benefit someone, not just sell them." Another international student who also gave a presentation expressed his enthusiasm, saying, "I want to take the food knowledge I learned back to my country."
Afterwards, the company representatives provided valuable feedback. While there were positive comments such as, "The students gave us new insights," and "Being able to see a variety of companies was a valuable experience that our young employees are envious of," they also gave specific advice that will help the students grow in the future, such as, "Your expressions were stiff," and "Make sure you look forward when making your presentation, not down."
Both of these opinions were aimed at "re-internalization," asking, "How can we make use of what we have learned this time?"
A poster presentation on the entire Co-op Program/Internship Program, including this program, will be held on the morning of Saturday, November 11th at our Amagasaki Campus. The university festival "HEART Festa" will also be held on the same day, so please come along if you are visiting.
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to all the companies and organizations that cooperated with us in implementing this program. Thank you very much.
(Honorific title omitted in the text)
