Opportunities to think about the Future
– Career Education “Mirai School”

JAPAN

Sumitomo Corporation Group employees visit educational institutions to offer an opportunity for junior high and high school students to think about their future career through lectures and dialogue.

What is “Mirai School”

In this rapidly shifting era, we want each and every junior high and high school student, who will lead the next generation, to think about their future and career now and recognize their potential to carve out their own future and spread their wings. Mirai School is a career education activity in which Sumitomo Corporation Group employees engage in dialogue with junior high and high school students in various regions in Japan with such thoughts in mind. From September 2020 to March 2024, a total of 425 employees conducted classes at a cumulative total of 163 schools for about 26,000 students.

Students notice their own power to open up a path to the future during class time

In the first period during class time, the lecturers introduce themselves and give a quiz as an icebreaker, and then share their experiences from school to the present time, such as how they overcame setbacks and difficulties and how their student life connects to their jobs. In the second period, the lecturers describe the points that they think are important in a career to survive in this dramatically shifting era. We hear positive comments in students’ feedback such as, “The workshop made me feel like devoting myself to what I can do now for the future,” “It was interesting to listen to real stories told by working adults,” and “I want to discuss the future more.”

“Sogo-Shosha” quiz as an icebreaker

We also learn from the students

The students take seriously the experiences of Sumitomo Corporation Group employees that they met first, and provide feedback on various things based on their feelings. Inspired by their thoughts on the future, we were also given the opportunity to rethink "how we will live from now on." We continue visiting various regions in Japan, expecting to meet and talk to as many students as possible.

A post-lesson discussion where students gather around the lecturer

Related Information

Why Focus on Education Now? Sumitomo Corporation’s Social Contribution Activity Program "100SEED" and Its Ongoing Activities | Sumitomo Corporation

School Visit Schedule