Plus W株式会社

Announcement: Global recruiting/domestic side job supporting agency, Plus W, Inc. (Shibuya-Ku, Tokyo, Representative and President: Wakako Sakurai), introduces and dispatches Pakistani IT engineers to Japanese businesses challenged in engineer shortage. To expand labor opportunities for oversea IT workers, Plus W developed an original Japanese language and culture class and began offering it from November.

Plus W is working to resolve IT engineer shortage facing many Japanese corporations, and networking with nearly 2,000 Pakistani IT work-ready human resources (advanced human resources), some of whom we already introduced and dispatched to Japanese businesses. Today, Pakistan produces 25,000 IT engineers a year, acclaimed as an IT advanced country. 2022 is the 70th anniversary of Japan and Pakistan’s diplomatic relationship. With the deep tie between the two countries, Japanese corporations are showing more interest in these engineers lately. Even though they have business skills, the language barrier and the Japanese businesses’ culture and traditions often stand in the way, making it difficult for these engineers to keep working longer.

Plus W collaborated with Pakistan’s top university, National University of Sciences & Technology (NUST) and set up Japan Center on their campus this spring. We provide courses for students to acquire skills to become work-ready while they are still enrolling. On top of that, NUST has decided to also offer the Japanese language and culture class. We are planning to extend the program to other major universities in Pakistan, not only in Islamabad, but also in Lahore and Karachi.

For the Japanese corporations who already accepted Pakistani engineers, Plus W has been providing support. Now the trial phase is over and we are planning to offer the support program to other Japanese businesses who will be hiring foreign IT engineers. We will run the program in collaboration with Pakistani government and major universities.

Regarding our activities in Pakistan, when JETRO hosted the Trade & Investment Seminar in Islamabad last month, Mr. Chaudhry Salik Hussain, minister of Pakistan Board of Investment (BOI), mentioned that “Plus W is focusing on economic promotion through human resource exchange between Pakistan and Japan.”, appealing his hope for our future efforts and recruitment. In this environment, Shikoku University began organizing our trial education program this November. Specifically, we will train on basic Japanese conversations for IT engineers to communicate with Japanese companies as well as manners and customs in Japanese work scenes, covering wide topics and knowhow important while working in Japan.

Three Features of Our Japanese Language / Cultural Program

（1）Setting up a Theme Specialized for Foreign IT Engineers’ Work Scene

• CTO/Development leader sets up a theme based on his rich experience in hiring foreign engineers and training them
• Setting up a theme based on concerns and questions already faced by the current foreign workers in Japan
• Enhancing understandings of Japanese culture and communication necessary for starting the life in Japan

（2）Hybrid Learning Combined with AI Tool

• Effective, fast language learning based on Shikoku University’s rich Japanese language education to foreign students
• Addition of the latest translation tools and apps for further improvement of language skills
• Acquiring knowhow for smooth understanding and communication in meetings mainly in English

（3）Interactive Communication with Friends

• Interaction with Pakistanis and others living in Japan in the SNS community(1,302 members as of October 25) run by Plus W
• Communication with professors and students at Shikoku University who directs the program
• Advice from CTO / Development leader who hire foreign engineers

Shikoku University in Tokushima City, Tokushima, who directs our language program, has been accepting foreign students proactively (162 students from 8 countries in 2021). 100 % of their graduates land jobs. With a Japanese language teacher training course for those desiring to be a professional instructor, they have a history and expertise in Japanese language education. The university’s vision and ours matched nicely and the Director Ichiro Sato and President Kazumi Matsushige happily agreed to help direct our program.

While developing the program, we asked Ms. Yoshie Motoki at Shikoku University to direct the language education. We asked Mr. Yuta Matsuda to be the instructor, a language learning consultant who has been engaged in corporate English learning programs for a long time. We also asked an engineer currently working in Japan and gathered lots of elements vital to engineer’s view point to develop Plus W’s unique curriculum. This trial version is made up of 12 classes, lasting 12 weeks. Afterwards, the results will be evaluated and used to develop our actual curriculum.

Comments

Chaudhry Salik Hussain,
Minister of Pakistan Board of Investment

We are very pleased to see more opportunities for talented IT engineers from Pakistan to work for Japanese companies. We believe that more IT engineers will learn Japanese language, Japanese culture, and other necessary knowledge for engineers. This will increase opportunities for them to work in Japan and serve as a bridge between both countries. We have high expectations that Plus W will contribute to strengthen the relationship between both countries through this program. We also hope that this program will be extended to Pakistani educational institutions and IT engineers.

Shikoku University / Shikoku Junior College President,
Kazumi Matsushige

As societies and economy globalize, Shikoku University is driving collaboration with more oversea universities, double degree programs, study abroad for students and professors, and accepting foreign students. We especially value Japanese language education, the basis of all learning, which is highly regarded by the local community. In the backdrop of oversea IT workers in strong demand by Japanese businesses, we encountered an opportunity to help Plus W, a domestic and international recruiting agency, with education (Japanese language and cultural program) for their oversea human resource training. I hope this effort will grow into a new model for accepting and nurturing oversea workers and contribute to our country’s further globalization.

Shikoku University

Shikoku University is a co-ed university founded in 1961 with nearly 2,900 students enrolled currently. In addition to human development based on practical training for local community, we are thrusting our university into the international community. Our efforts to accept, teach Japanese to and support oversea students were recognized with 2021 Japan Study Abroad Awards.

Plus W, Inc. Human Resource Manager /
Japanese Language & Culture Exchange Leader,
Mao Morimoto

Through the work to introduce and dispatch IT talents from Pakistan to Japanese corporations, I often heard about needs for the ability to understand the Japanese language. We have developed a Japanese language / cultural program, and during the discussion with Pakistan’s major government agencies and universities, many have supported our idea. I am so pleased to implement this trial program. Shikoku University is experienced in accepting numerous Asian and other foreign students. Under their direction, students just do not learn only the language. The strength of this program is the completely original contents – tips on becoming a work-ready member in Japanese corporations, which are the perspectives from the engineers who are working in Japan, plus Japanese culture, manners, and customs. Through this trial course and reviews, we will keep enhancing the program. （LinkedIn）

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