My Vision No.52
2021.2

Positioning Vocational Training and Recurrent
Education as "Lifelong Learning"
Vocational training and recurrent education have been regarded as important issues for the past
several decades, but outcomes have been limited in these areas.
What do we need to do in order to create effective mechanisms that adapt to changes in society andtechnology?

About this Issue

Creating New Frameworks for Vocational Training and Recurrent Education– The Necessity for Urgent Responses to the Era of the "100-year Lifespan"
Noriyuki Yanagawa
NIRA Executive Vice President／Professor, Graduate School of Economics, The University of Tokyo
Keywords…Era of 100-year lifespan, rapid changes in the business environment, importance of improvement ofskills, prior examples in Northern Europe, ambitious initiatives in Singapore, regional and in-situ initiatives

Expert Opinions
Positioning Vocational Training and Recurrent Education as "Lifelong Learning"
Why has proactive utilization of vocational training and recurrent education made so little progress?
What do we need to do in order to ensure that related mechanisms are effective?

A Danish vocational training program
created jointly by the government, laborand management

Achieving results through a commitment
to autonomous career choice

Takashi Suganuma

Ulrika Wiklund

Professor, College of Economics, Rikkyo University
Keywords…“Flexicurity,” collaboration between
labor and management, incentives for workers,
deadlock in Japanese employment practices, newvision for labor-management relations

Head of Business & Development, TRR
Keywords…Reemployment support service, collective
bargaining agreement between labor andmanagement, “striking while the iron is hot,” qualityof counselling, funding of activity fund via insurance
premiums

In the era of the fourth industrial revolution,a lifelong learning model is essential to oursystems of education and training

Entrench mechanisms to allow “learning”
to be visualizedMichael Fung

Satoko Tatsumi

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, SkillsFuture
Singapore (SSG)
Keywords…Rapid change in skills, longer working
life, transition to “lifelong learning model,”SkillsFuture, “4 + 20” model, strong collaboration
with stakeholders

Chief Researcher, Recruit Works Institute
Keywords…Further study by working people,
outcomes/returns commensurate with investment infurther study, made-to-order further study, outputoriented further study, adult learning, Lifelong
Learning

Universities will provide further study
that meets the needs of their region
Takebumi Kirihara
Lecturer, Ibaraki University Social Collaboration
Center
Keywords…Recurrent education, collaboration
between universities, local governments and local
companies, “custom courses,” requirements on
academic disciplines, further study that leads tocareer advancement

Interview period：December, 2020
Interviewer : Kozue Sekijima (NIRA Research Coordinator,
Researcher）, Ayumi Kitajima (NIRA Research Coordinator,
Researcher)This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2021 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.52
2021.2
About this Issue

Creating New Frameworks for Vocational
Training and Recurrent Education– The Necessity for Urgent Responses to the Era of the "100-year Lifespan"
The term "100-year lifespan" is now used quite naturally
in Japan, and we are entering an era in which the majority ofpeople, even if they work until retirement age, will be expectedto then work in a second career. Additionally, the environment
surrounding companies is changing rapidly; the number ofpeople who voluntarily change jobs is increasing, while at thesame time, the number of people who have no choice but tochange companies or industries is also increasing. Japanesesociety is already becoming one in which it is no longer natural
Noriyuki Yanagawa
to continue working at one company for one’s entire life.
Against the background of these changes, the
NIRA Executive Vice President/
Professor, Graduate School ofimportance of "recurrent education," education that allows
Economics, The University of Tokyo
workers to learn the skills necessary for new jobs and for newcompanies, is being emphasized. This stems from an awarenessthat workers need to acquire new skills and new knowledge in order to adapt to a new environment
and flourish in it. Even if a worker continues to work for the same company, upgrading their skills is
important to their ability to play an active role in that company. Vocational training and recurrent
education are essential from this perspective also.
However, because long-term employment has been a fundamental assumption in Japan, we
have relied on in-house education and in-house training for skill development, and while theimportance of vocational training and recurrent education is strongly recognized, there has not beenadequate discussion of the type of mechanisms that we need to create in this area, and everyone
concerned seems to have adopted a “wait and see” attitude. This issue of "My Vision" therefore considers
what specific points should be focused on when creating mechanisms for recurrent education, and whatshould be focused on and considered salient factors in the creation of such mechanisms. Ourinterviewees in this issue are domestic and foreign experts with a considerable degree of experience inthe fields of recurrent education and vocational training.

Participation of Labor and Management to Reflect a New Vision
In the area of recurrent education, Northern European policies are well known as providing
pioneering examples. Takashi Suganuma, a Professor at Rikkyo University, informs us that Denmark’s
vocational training program was jointly created by labor and management, and that private-sector
labor unions and employers' organizations are also involved in its operation. The acquisition of newqualifications through vocational training allows workers in Denmark to find jobs with good conditions,which is significantly different to the situation in Japan. Professor Suganuma indicates as a problem
the fact that labor and management in Japan do not share a vision for the reorganization of theJapanese labor market in the future, nor for the best direction for new labor and management relations.
Ulrika Wiklund, Head of Business & Development for TRR, a non-profit foundation thatprovides reemployment support services in Sweden, explains how TRR supports workers whose
employment has been terminated or who will be subject to being laid off in making the transition to
new employment. TRR counselors offer advice to enable the worker to choose a career autonomously;
the organization also matches workers with relevant job information, offers individual guidance, andThis is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2021 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.52
2021.2
provides further study programs. TRR provides a full range of services, including offering financial
assistance representing 70% of the worker’s pre-dismissal income and short-term subsidies foreducation, for a support period of up to two years. Ms. Wiklund explains that these mechanisms are
funded by revenue from employment premiums based on collective agreements.

Meeting Diverse Needs / Providing Incentives for Further Study
Michael Fung, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of SkillsFuture Singapore, discusses
Singapore's ambitious initiatives in the area of lifelong learning. In Singapore, a decline in the labor
force exacerbated by the aging of the population is a serious issue, and the need to make education andtraining systems flexible in order to meet diverse needs throughout life has become clearly highlighted.
In this case also, strong partnerships between multiple stakeholders including governments, industry
bodies, and labor unions, are an important factor. Dr. Fung also discusses very interesting initiatives
such as a system started by the National University of Singapore that allows students with a four-yearbachelor's degree to return to the university and improve their skills at any time over the next 20 years.
On the other hand, as Satoko Tatsumi, a Senior Researcher at Recruit Works Institute, points
out, in Japan there is still the problem that it is difficult to discern outcomes and returns that arecommensurate with the time and money invested in further study, and this is a factor that impedes
progress in the use of further study and recurrent education among working people. Dr. Tatsumi
indicates the necessity for “output-oriented” vocational training and recurrent education thatemphasizes the utilization of what is learned in the individual’s actual work, and for services thatrecommend the type of further study that is necessary for the individual, and how they can put what
they have learned to use.

Regional and In-situ Initiatives
Takebumi Kirihara, a Lecturer at Ibaraki University’s Social Collaboration Center, introduces
a recurrent education program commenced by Ibaraki University in fiscal 2019. The program offers
courses featuring curricula designed to meet the specific needs of the region, which are individually
coordinated with local companies and local governments, and Mr. Kirihara tells us that the level ofstudent satisfaction is high. There is a great need for students to acquire the basic perspectives andways of thinking that universities can provide, and Mr. Kirihara indicates the importance ofuniversities that are strongly rooted in their respective regions providing basic education that meetsthe needs of their region in collaboration with local governments and local companies.
As this suggests, while Japan may be semi-fumbling towards a conception of the type ofcontent that is appropriate and the type of mechanisms by which recurrent education should be
conducted, most people would not deny its importance. I strongly hope that the type of recurrent
education that is required at every location can be realized as soon as possible, and that the meaningful
initiatives implemented in Japan and the other countries discussed in this issue will serve as areference.

Professor Yanagawa is an Executive Vice President of the Nippon Institute for Research Advancement (NIRA), and a
Professor in the Graduate School of Economics, The University of Tokyo. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from The
University of Tokyo, and specializes in contract theory and financial contracts. Professor Yanagawa is a member of theCouncil on Economic and Fiscal Policy.

This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2021 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.52
2021.2
Expert Opinions

A Danish Vocational Training Program Created
Jointly by the Government, Labor and Management
Denmark has a policy of "flexicurity" that brings together
the establishment of a highly flexible labor market (“flexibility”)
with the protection of workers through social security (“security”).
Vocational training, which the Danish government considers to bea highly effective strategy, occupies a particularly important
position within this policy orientation.
The particularly noteworthy characteristic in the case of
Denmark is the fact that labor and management have cooperated
to jointly create a vocational training program. The government's
Council for Basic Vocational Training, which is made up ofrepresentatives of labor and management, considers the type of
Takashi Suganuma
skills that will be needed for the Danish economy in the future, andProfessor, College of Economics,
constantly reviews vocational training guidelines on this basis.
Rikkyo University
Following these guidelines, local vocational training schools create
vocational training programs in cooperation with labor unions and employers' organizations. Thismechanism makes it possible to discover new essential skills and effectively develop the abilities thatare suited to them.
Labor-management collaboration is also an integral aspect of the operation of vocational
training schools. The majority of Denmark’s vocational training schools are public facilities owned by
the municipality (Komune), but representatives of labor and management are members of the board of
directors. Skills acquired in training programs jointly created by labor and management are fairly
evaluated in the labor market.
Because the acquisition of a new qualification through vocational training will enable workers
to find a job with good conditions, they have a strong incentive to take the training. The outcomes oftraining can be reflected in wages because labor and management have historically developed job
descriptions that evaluate wages by expressing workers’ skills and experience using objective indicators.
The fact that they are provided with benefits to ensure their livelihood while undergoing training is
also appealing to workers.
By contrast, Japanese vocational training emphasizes the power of the private sector. It
therefore tends to be entrusted to private vocational schools, and there is no joint development by laborand management of the skills that the society requires. As a result, there is a high level of uncertainty
with regard to how skills that are acquired will be evaluated in the labor market. In addition, the scaleof public vocational training schools is small, and there is little involvement by labor and managementin their operation. Because of this, training programs are updated infrequently, and there is a low levelof skill training that anticipates changes in the economy and society. At the root of this is the fact thatJapanese labor and management have not been able to share a vision of how to reorganize the Japaneselabor market in the future and of the best direction for new labor-management relations. It is clear thatJapanese employment practices, which have been based on advancement by seniority, lifetime
employment, and on-the-job training, have reached a deadlock. It is to be hoped that labor andmanagement will take a broad perspective and jointly discuss the type of labor-management relations
and the type of labor market they will seek to create.
Professor Suganuma teaches in Rikkyo University’s Faculty of Economics. A specialist in social policy, he conducts
research on Denmark, which is attracting attention as providing a new model of the welfare state, and studies thepotential restructuring of social security systems and the labor-management relations and economic structures that can
support an advanced welfare state. Professor Suganuma completed his graduate studies at The University of Tokyo, andholds a Ph.D. in Economics. He took his current position in 2005, following terms in positions including AssistantProfessor at Shinshu University and Assistant Professor at Rikkyo University, and was the Dean of Rikkyo University’s
Faculty of Economics from 2017 to March 2019.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2021 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.52
2021.2
Expert Opinions

Achieving Results Through a Commitment toAutonomous Career Choice
TRR is a Swedish job security council. It is a non-profit
foundation providing services that support workers who havebeen made redundant or laid off in realizing their next direction,for example finding new employment. TRR is based on acollective agreement between private companies and tradeunions. We cover approximately 950,000 white collar employeesof approximately 35,000 companies, and we typically provide
support for about 13,000 employees per year.
TRR’s strength is the fact that we provide support to both
Ulrika Wiklund
workers and companies. We are able to start discussions with theHead of Business & Development,
HR department and management personnel of a company that
TRR
intends to reduce its workforce at a very early stage, andcommence providing support for employees to transition to new
employment before they have been let go. Intervening in a situation in which workers will be maderedundant at the earliest possible stage, based on the principle of “striking while the iron is hot,” is the
key to a smooth transition.
TRR does not have a one-size-fits-all approach to the provision of support for worker transition.
We have three types of approach: the worker might find a new job, start their own company, or engage
in further study. We provide support based on these three paths, while clarifying the wishes of theindividual. It is always based on individual needs. TRR counsellors specialize in the provision of advice
that allows the individual to make their own autonomous career choices. In order to maintain thequality of counselling, we have started our own internal TRR Academy, and in addition we collaborate
with partners including the International Coaching Federation (ICF), a specialist coachingorganization, and Great Leaders, a specialist training organization that fosters trust and motivation.
During the period of provision of support (a maximum of two years), the worker will bematched with employers that are recruiting based on the information that TRR gathers, in addition to
being provided with a variety of other services. In parallel with individual coaching and guidance, theyreceive services that suit their needs and circumstances from among workshops, webinars, further
study programs, skill-enhancing activities, and more. The provision of steady financial assistanceduring this period is also attractive. In addition to receiving financial assistance representing 70% of
their former salary, short-term subsidies and government loans for study are also available. This meansthat the workers experience minimal financial anxiety.
All of these services are made possible by insurance premium revenue based on collective
agreements. Adequate funding is the reason that TRR has financial muscle. More than 90% of TRR’s
clients will decide on their new path within six months following the commencement of support. A
majority achieve equal or higher salaries or positions as they had in their previous job, and user
satisfaction is therefore high. The trust, commitment, and results obtained in this way are TRR’s corevalues.
Ms. Wiklund has overseen labor law and negotiations at the Swedish job security council TRR for many years. She has
held a variety of executive positions for 10 years, including Head of Negotiation and Regional Officer. TRR specializes inassisting private-sector white-collar workers already in the labor market to find a new direction, while state-run job
centers primarily focus on the long-term unemployed and young people who have dropped out of school. This separationof target groups gives the two a complementary relationship. TRR provides a variety of services, different learning
programs and workshops, in order to meet the needs of its clients. Ms. Wiklund holds a Master’s degree in Law, with amajor in labor law.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2021 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.52
2021.2
Expert Opinions

In the Era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, a Lifelong Learning
Model is Essential to Our Systems of Education and Training
As a consequence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution andincreasingly rapid changes in jobs and skills, workers are expected
to have to update and refresh their skills on average six times
throughout their working lives. In Singapore in particular, an aging
population is exacerbating the shrinking of the workforce, making
lifelong learning and skills development important factors inenabling workers to remain employable for a longer period of theirlives. In order to respond to this situation, it will be necessary torealize a transition in education and training systems to a lifelong
Michael Funglearning model that is able to flexibly adapt to the diverse needs oflearners throughout their lives.
Deputy Chief Executive Officer,
SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG)
SkillsFuture is a national movement launched in 2014 in
Singapore to develop the skills, passion and contributions of every
individual towards an advanced economy and inclusive society. Building upon four decades of workforce
development efforts, the government, institutions of higher education, employers, and others have beencollaborating to realize such a lifelong learning model. For example, institutions of higher education
offer short-form modular courses enabling working adults to acquire skills in eight emerging domains– data analytics, finance, tech-enabled services, digital media, cybersecurity, entrepreneurship,advanced manufacturing, and urban solutions – at basic, intermediate, and advanced levels. Amongthese initiatives, the National University of Singapore has moved to a model of “4 + 20” for its
undergraduate education, whereby students graduating with a 4-year bachelor’s degree can come backto the university for the subsequent 20 years to upskill themselves. Singaporeans pursuing thesediverse learning opportunities are provided with financial assistance on course fees. In addition, allSingaporeans (aged 25 and above) are given a SkillsFuture Credit of SGD500, which can be used forsome 20,000 courses.
A regular annual national survey indicates that the training participation rate is increasing.
In addition, 8 in 10 Singaporeans who attended SkillsFuture-funded courses last year found that theirtraining helped them in their work. One of the factors in the success of the movement is its promotion
across a broad range of skills, including foundational digital skills. For example, the National Taxi
Association has supported close to 10,000 taxi drivers to pick up essential digital skills such as using epayment applications. Cross-collaboration with multiple stakeholders, involving government agencies,
industry bodies, unions, enterprises, and education and training providers, is another factor in the
success of the SkillsFuture movement. One example is the development of the Skills Frameworks. To
date, over 30 Skills Frameworks have been rolled out for sectors such as aerospace, electronics, andfinancial services.
Education and training systems need to be even more agile, flexible and innovative than before.
A truly effective lifelong learning system cannot be delivered by the public sector alone. A multistakeholder approach is required. Everyone needs to play a part in building up a responsive andeffective skills ecosystem in the spirit of the lifelong learning paradigm.
Dr. Fung is a specialist in human capital, education and skills development. He oversees the development of Singapore's
continuing education and training systems at SkillsFuture Singapore, a statutory body under the jurisdiction of theSingapore Ministry of Education. He is also the organization’s Chief Human Resource Officer and Chief Data Officer. Dr.
Fung is also a Senior Adjunct Fellow of the Singapore University of Technology and Design, and President of the Higher
Education Planning in Asia Association (HEPA). He served in positions including Director of Planning and Institutional
Research at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Senior Advisor in the Office of the President
before assuming his current position. Dr. Fung is well-known as a leader in fields including university strategic andacademic planning and the assessment of institutional effectiveness. He holds a Doctorate in Education from the
University of Southern California’s Rossier School of Education.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2021 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.52
2021.2
Expert Opinions

Entrench Mechanisms to Allow “Learning” to
Be Visualized
Why are education and recurrent education not making
more progress among working people in Japan? This is because themajority of people have few opportunities to experience the benefitsof further study at work. With the exception of IT engineers andindividuals in certain other occupations, workers will not find new
positions or realize pay increases as a result of receiving vocational
training or education, and it is therefore difficult to see any outcome
or return that is commensurate with the time and money invested
in further study.
Satoko Tatsumi
Until the 1990s, it was assumed that individual career
Chief Researcher,development would take place within an organization. Today,
Recruit Works Institutehowever, as symbolized by the term "career autonomy," there is anemphasis on the idea that each individual independently creates
their own career. What should recurrent education look like in such an era?
Much vocational training and recurrent education in Japan is based on the premise of anumber of students acquiring a set of skills together. Most of the associated frameworks areprovided as a “package” type, in which the content to be learned is predetermined. The transition
should be made to a "made-to-order” type, allowing each individual to learn by combining what
they specifically need. In addition, many programs are offered as "input-oriented” types, with anemphasis on the acquisition of knowledge. These should be changed to "output-oriented” types
that emphasize the utilization of what is learned in actual work. Rather than shrinking further
study in order to fit a template, it will be necessary to fit further study to the needs and purposesof the individual.
However, there may also be people who are not aware of what they should learn in orderto develop their careers. If a person does not know what kind of further study is necessary for themand how to use what they have learned, they will find it difficult to learn via either the custommade or output-oriented types. In past surveys conducted by Recruit Career, less than 30% of
respondents answered that they knew what they should learn*. In order to respond to these cases,
it should surely be possible to develop a service that analyzes worker movement data and indicates
the type of further study necessary to move on to the next stage and the career prospects to be
expected, and makes appropriate recommendations, as has already been trialed in online further
study courses such as Coursera.
In Japan as elsewhere, it will become easier for workers to select the type of further study
they need if there is a range of choice with regard to what they learn, how they learn, and options
in relation to the period in which they learn, and if they are clearly shown that further study andtheir career are linked.
* Recruit Career, "Happiness at Work Survey" (2017)

Dr. Tatsumi is a Chief Researcher with Recruit Works Institute. She conducts surveys and research focusing on careers,
career education, and adult further study (further study for working people and recurrent education), around the themeof the connection between work and learning. She is also a member of committees convened by the Ministry of Education,
Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2021 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement

My Vision No.52
2021.2
Expert Opinions

Universities Will Provide Further Study That
Meets the Needs of Their Region
Ibaraki University commenced offering recurrent educationin fiscal 2019. At that time, we established the "Ibaraki Roundtableconcerning Recurrent Education for Working People," a forum foruniversities, companies, and local governments to exchange opinions
on the best direction for adult education, and we created mechanisms
to allow the opinions of the region to be reflected in further study
programs.
As recurrent education for working adults, we establishedthree streams: “open courses," organized mainly around conventional
Takebumi Kirihara
extension lectures; "specialized courses," which set specific themes
Lecturer, Ibaraki University
such as the environment or multicultural understanding and themes
Social Collaboration Center
based on policies implemented by local governments, etc.; and "custom courses," which enable content to be customized. Of these, thecustom courses allow curricula to be tailored in coordination with local companies and local
governments. The provision of opportunities for customized further study when local companies andother entities have understood what the university can offer means that our students have a high levelof satisfaction.
For example, following careful advance discussions with Sekisho Corporation, a general
trading company in the region, we gained a detailed understanding of the company’s issues andstrategies, and we are now offering broad-ranging related content, such as teaching methods of gaining
knowledge of the regions and markets into which the business is expanding. The aim is to have thehabit of thinking for oneself take root through academic study, rather than providing students with the
purpose-driven “how-to” practical training provided by consultants.
I feel that there is a great potential need for students to acquire the basic perspectives andways of thinking that universities can offer them in each of the three streams. What students areseeking is not something that represents a hobby separate from work, but they are also not engaging
in further study in order to acquire qualifications, change their job, or seek reemployment; they seek
further study that will enable them to improve their career in their current job. For example, we had acase in which a person in a technical managerial position took a course in order to systematicallyacquire knowledge in fields such as business administration, which would be useful for the type of
duties that must be performed by a manager. Universities can meet such needs by presenting a wide
range of subjects. Students have commented that further study has changed their work style, thequality of cooperation in their workplace has improved, and the way they use time has changed andtheir work-life balance has improved.
I believe that one of the roles of a university rooted in its region is to provide fundamental
education that meets the needs of the community through recurrent education in collaboration withlocal governments and local businesses. Our aim is to develop human resources who will be the pillarsof Ibaraki Prefecture in the future in cooperation with the government and industry.
Mr. Kirihara is a Lecturer at the Ibaraki University Social Collaboration Center, where he oversees recurrent education.
From 2018, he was involved in preparations for the opening of Ibaraki University’s recurrent education program in 2019.
Making frequent visits to local businesses and local governments, he deepened understanding of recurrent education,and identified the potential needs of various regional stakeholders for recurrent education. Mr. Kirihara took his current
position following a long period as a teacher at Ibaraki Prefectural High School, and terms in positions including as an
Assistant Counselor in the Senior High School Education Division of the Ibaraki Prefectural Board of Education, thePrincipal of Ibaraki Prefectural Oarai High School, and the Principal of Ibaraki Prefectural Mito Commercial High School.
During his period of employment in high schools, he was also a long-term member of the Board of Education in addition
to serving as the Principal of a commercial high school, and as a result he has close ties to local governments andindustries.
This is a translation of a paper originally published in Japanese. NIRA bears full responsibility for the translation presented here.
Translated by Michael Faul.
Copyright Ⓒ 2021 by Nippon Institute for Research Advancement