Human Resource Development
Our training curriculum is designed to help employees develop the required skills and mindset to work in a large energy company and continue to contribute to our business over the long term. Group training, practical training (primarily through overseas visits or appointments), selective training to develop next-generation leaders, and e-learning focused on developing business knowledge are the principal modes of delivery. In FY2022, we overhauled our training regime with an emphasis on autonomy and leadership. Besides commencing leadership training for a wide range of employees so that everyone can demonstrate leadership, we also encourage each employee to pursue career autonomy, such as by strengthening support for line managers, who form the backbone of the organization.
Human Resource Development for Younger Employees
The first three years of graduate employment in the Company is a designated development period for these young employees. During this period, we implement various measures to support their development so they can quickly acquire the basic skills needed to function and grow in the workplace and take ownership of their careers.
In FY2022, we conducted face-to-face training for new graduates who joined the Company that year to strengthen the sense of camaraderie among fellow recruits and help them adjust to the workplace. Such in-person training had not been conducted in the past three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After this training and periodically throughout the year, we arranged pulse surveys, interviews with HR staff, and counselling sessions with outside experts to support graduates in adjusting to their job. We have also firmly established a mentoring system (for first-year office workers and first- and second-year technical employees) and a supporter system (for second- and third-year office workers) under which a veteran mentor is assigned to support each young employee. We seek to further enhance their basic work abilities through synergy between these systems and follow-up training that is conducted annually until their third year with the Company.
In FY2022, we also resumed operational and practical training for young employees in the form of on-the-job experience at overseas sites and other onsite training abroad to focus on developing personnel capable of playing an active role at the global level. In FY2023, in addition to the aforementioned support programs, we will encourage the growth of our young employees through interactions with veteran employees and one-on-one meetings with supervisors.
In regard to young employees performing technical work, we provide medium- to long-term development opportunities to foster independent engineers capable of working as a team with people from different specialist fields. This is achieved by sending them to operational sites within and outside Japan and training with a system of skill maps from their third year with the Company so they can develop their own areas of specialization by their sixth year.
Supporting Career Autonomy for All Employees
We aim to strengthen both individual and organizational capabilities by promoting basic skills development and providing training tailored to each individual through such initiatives as personal development programs and an e-learning system. In addition, we conduct career workshops for employees aged 30, 40, and 50 years to help them develop career autonomy through such techniques as self-reflection and career experience inventory. At the same time, we conduct career awareness surveys for all employees and undertake initiatives to encourage and enhance each individual’s career development.
Human Resource Development Curriculum
Developing Next-generation Leaders
In FY2021, we launched our Breakthrough Leadership Program (BLP)1, a selective leadership development program for young employees. Additionally, in FY 2022, we launched the Advanced Leaders Program (ALP)2 for executives. Both programs are designed to nurture transformational leaders (candidates for future executive roles) who will ultimately be responsible for managing the Company. Both programs are optional and selected from the employees who wish to take up the challenge.
In Australia, a leadership development program was launched in FY2022. Approximately 300 team leaders and managers have participated in the three-day training program aimed at instilling the qualities and behavioral attributes expected of leaders.
1 Breakthrough Leadership Program (BLP): A program lasting up to five years and tailored based on the experiences of each selected employee to accelerate their development by strategically and deliberately subjecting them to an intensive series of tough assignments (including more sophisticated tasks, leadership positions, and jobs at different departments) over a short time frame
2 Advanced Leaders Program (ALP): A program that aims to develop leaders with strong foundations and rich ideas through participation in management and business programs in Japan and overseas and engagement with other companies to learn the latest information, trends and problem-solving skills.