With the latest employment rate of 99.9% (actual results for graduates in March 2023), Kanazawa Institute of Technology is consistently at the top of the university employment rate rankings. With the educational goal of "cultivating engineers who can think and act on their own", we are developing our own "project design education" where students learn while practicing the processes and methods from problem discovery to solution in teams.Furthermore, from 3, we will start a “co-op education program” that combines on-campus courses and work experience at companies.Efforts are being made to enhance industry-academia joint education.We asked Kazuki Futaiida, Deputy Director of the Career Development Center of the university administration, about each program.

Cultivate basic skills as a business person
Developing “Engineers who think and act on their own”

　“At our university, project design education (PD education) is positioned at the top of specialized subjects, and it is the basics of a business person, such as 'listening to people, accurately conveying your own opinions and thoughts to others, and summarizing the content of discussions.' Of course, we have a well-developed curriculum in specialized fields, but in order to make use of the specialized knowledge we have learned in society, we must think about what our customers want and work toward solutions. The ability to work collaboratively in a team is essential.This is why what you learn in PD education will come to life as 'your strengths' and 'what you focused on when you were a student' when looking for a job."

　In recent years, even in junior high and high schools, emphasis has been placed on independent and collaborative learning aimed at discovering and solving problems as “exploratory learning.” ) are being introduced.However, Kanazawa Institute of Technology started working on PD education in 1995, before this trend arose, and has taken the lead in introducing it in all departments.It can be said that this has become the foundation of a “university that is strong in employment”.

In addition, what we are currently focusing on is the training of “human resources who can bring about innovation,” which is one step ahead.Innovativeness is required for engineers in the new age, in which the virtual and the real are highly integrated, which is the goal of Society 5.0 advocated by the government.Therefore, we planned an "SRI workshop" jointly with SRI International (independent from Stanford University), which is known as an international research institute. Since 2014, we have provided opportunities to experience the innovation creation know-how of Stanford University for two days every year in March and September.The workshop has been well received, with 3 to 9 participants each year, and from the 2 academic year onwards, learning from this workshop will become a compulsory subject in the third year.

　“As a result, a more solid flow of learning has been established. In the first and second years, students receive PD education to solidify their foundations, and in the first half of the third year, they learn SRI know-how. While deepening their research themes, in the fourth year students will create connections with companies and other external entities and carry out joint research, etc. It will be possible to develop engineers who are more aware of customer needs." Deputy Director Niiida put his strength into it.By providing each and every student with world-class education, we aim to become global human resources with the ability to innovate.