SHIZUOKA - A major job fair in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, drew more than 3,700 high school students as local businesses, government and schools joined forces to stem the outflow of young people and encourage future U-turn employment.
The event, Job Expo Hamamatsu, was held this month for high school students as part of an effort to show young people the appeal of local industries before they leave the region for university or work.
Among the exhibitors was Sawayaka, the charcoal-grilled hamburger steak restaurant chain that has become one of Shizuoka Prefecture's best-known local food brands. The chain operates only in Shizuoka Prefecture, and many of its employees are from the prefecture, making it a strongly community-based business.
Even so, Sawayaka sees securing young workers as a major challenge for the restaurant industry as a whole.
"The restaurant industry has tough aspects, but I want young people to know that there is a sense of happiness and fulfillment that more than makes up for that," said Kaori Shimizu of Sawayaka's human resources department.
Shimizu said the company has kept its stores only in Shizuoka Prefecture because its founder wanted to contribute to the local community.
The event brought together 160 participating companies and organizations. Alongside locally rooted businesses such as Sawayaka, major global manufacturers also took part, including Hamamatsu-based automaker Suzuki and Yamaha Motor, which is headquartered in Iwata.
The venue offered students a wide look at regional industries and products. At one booth, visitors were introduced to "mandarin orange honey harvested in May this year." At another, students were told, "If you answer all three quiz questions correctly, you get a bottle of grilled eel sauce."
With more than 3,700 students attending, organizers said the event became one of the largest job-hunting events in Japan aimed at high school students.
The project was organized through cooperation among local industry, government and educational institutions. Behind the effort is a strong sense of crisis over the region's population outflow.
"If we do not do something about the outflow of young people, it could leave serious problems for the sustainability of the region," Hamamatsu Mayor Yusuke Nakano said.
Hamamatsu is known as a manufacturing city and is home to many major companies. However, while many high school students go on to universities outside Shizuoka Prefecture, only about 30% return to the area for employment or other career reasons.
"We want students to know, understand, come to like and ultimately choose Hamamatsu companies, then work and thrive here," said Junichi Okubo, senior managing director of the Hamamatsu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The central question for organizers is how to persuade young people to work locally. The answer they settled on was to reach students while they are still in high school.
"We want to create opportunities for students to learn about the region's industries and companies before they leave Hamamatsu after graduating from high school," said Masaki Fukatsu, head of the human resources support division at the Hamamatsu Chamber of Commerce and Industry. "When they begin job hunting at university, we want them to consider local companies as options."
To leave an impression before students decide their career paths, the event focused mainly on first- and second-year high school students.
A second-year student who attended the fair said the explanations had broadened her view of the future. "It expanded my dreams for the future and increased the number of jobs I would like to try," she said. Asked which companies caught her interest, she named Sawayaka and Unagi Pie.
What struck a chord with the students may become a major key to solving the region's labor shortage.
Source: TBS
