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The number of foreigners working as permanent employees within Mie prefecture is on the rise. What kinds of companies do foreign employees work at? What kinds of initiatives are companies using to help foreign employees take on an active role?

This time, international students attending university in Mie prefecture, Liu Lexia and Cao Jing-Long covered the Nanbu Driving School in Ise city with their helper for the day, Takanoya Hisashi.

Nanbu Driving School has been No. 1 in the prefecture for 13 years for having the greatest number of new students each year in Mie. They call themselves “a praising academy,” where the instructors never scold the students. They also guarantee that the same instructor will be responsible for their student from entry to graduation, offering familiarity and a tailor-made experience for all students. Even after graduation, the school provides free “after service” for life so that former students can always brush up on safe driving.

「Interview ①　CEO Kato Koichi」

Q: What is special about Nanbu Driving School?

A: The motto of Nanbu Driving School is that praise encourages improvement. Our specialty is how our instructors genuinely praise the students and that makes driving fun for them.

Nanbu Driving School attracts Chinese students by offering lessons in Chinese. They hired Chinese employees and trained them to become instructors. They are also planning on changing their policies to allow their Chinese employees to take a long vacation back to China during the Chinese New Year.

「Interview ②　CEO　Kato Koichi」

Q: What kind of considerations have you made for foreign employees?

A: Chinese and other foreign employees are offered convenient working hours. Relationships in the workplace are also important. We want all our employees to get along well, so we encourage them to appreciate and praise each other too.

Q: Is it difficult to train foreign instructors?

A: The qualification exam is in Japanese, and these exams are difficult even for Japanese people. Our instructors studied really hard, probably twice as hard as a Japanese person would, in order to pass the exam.

The lessons in Chinese are very popular, and currently there are many applicants on the waiting list.

「Interview③　CEO　Kato Koichi」

Q: What are your plans for the Chinese driving lessons?

A: Currently, we have three people who can teach in Chinese. If possible I’d like to operate with five instructors. I would like the Chinese students on the waiting list to be able to enroll and get their licenses as soon as possible.

Jin Yu-Hong, a current driving instructor, and Zhao Yuan Quan, currently in the process of acquiring the qualifications, cheerfully talked about their work at Nanbu Driving School.

「Interview  Training instructor  Jin Yu-Hong」

Q: What brought you to join the company?

A: I really wanted to join such a famous company. My favorite part of the job is how I can interact with other Chinese people. I’m Chinese myself and being able to teach driving to fellow Chinese people is another reason why I joined Nanbu.

Q: What is it like working here?

A: I think I made the right choice to join Nanbu. Work has been a lot of fun since I started here. And I was able to grow a lot by learning from my instructor.

「Interview    Employee  Zhao Yuan Quan」

Q: What brought you to join the company?

A: Before I came here I was already looking forward to coming to Japan. I love cars, so I decided to join the company.

Q: What is it like working here?

A: When foreigners come to Japan for the first time, I think they experience a lot of uneasiness and trouble, but I am lucky that there are a lot of friendly people at the company so whenever I am having trouble or if there are things I don’t know, they always help me. Because of his I’ve been able to work here with peace of mind. I’ve been so motivated after joining the company. I love Nanbu Driving School.

It seems what began as practice for praising students during lessons has also created a positive culture within the company where employees are motivated through mutual encouragement, regardless of nationality. And with other unique initiatives publicized in the media bringing students from across the country, employees are proud to be a part of this number 1 driving school in Mie.

Mie Ken Nanbu Driving School
Establishment: Year 1961
Location: Ise-shi Obata-cho Motomachi 1648-10
URL: www.safety-nanbu.com

An article written by reporters Liu Lexia and Cao Jing-Long is posted here. A report meeting is also scheduled in December.

Articles coverage by foreign reporters
www.mief.or.jp/jp/gaikokujinkatsuyaku.html
(三重県南部自動車学校) (Japanese・Chinese)

Business visit report meeting
Date and time: Saturday, December 8, 2018 13:30 ~ 15:15
Place: UST Tsu 3rd floor（Tsu-shi Hadokoro-cho 700）

This video was produced with a subsidy from the CLAIR (Council of Local Authorities for International Relations).