Human resource development measures

Next Generation Leaders Program

We place great importance on developing management personnel who will drive the group's growth, and have been implementing the "Next Generation Leader Development Program" since 2010.
We have launched a continuous and planned development initiative targeting individuals who can take on the next leadership roles in our operating companies. We implement programs tailored to each candidate's development plan, including training, external assignments, and coaching, while also regularly providing opportunities for management to share information and conduct reviews from diverse perspectives.
Furthermore, as part of the career development meetings that began in fiscal year 2023, we have established an opportunity for management to share information on executives and top talent across the entire company and to consider development policies.

Developing digital talent

At the Benesse Group, securing and developing digital talent is a key theme as a particularly essential organizational capability. As the need for IT and digital utilization increases across all businesses, we are working to ensure sufficient DX talent by defining the skills required for each DX job type, understanding the skills of all employees, and calculating the required number of DX positions based on business needs to visualize the status of DX job sufficiency. For positions that are lacking, we are working to fill them through reskilling initiatives for existing employees.

Furthermore, in order to cultivate the talent that will drive change, we are also focusing on "reskilling existing employees," providing support for their skill development through on-the-job training (OJT) and training programs that include a wealth of internal case studies. For general knowledge, we have made "Udemy Business," a business-related digital video platform with over 210,000 courses, available for employees to use freely. In fiscal year 2024, the total number of participants in our training programs reached 4,663 (116.5% compared to the previous year) ^*.

● Overview of the DX Human Resource Development Strategy

Human resource development system

At Benesse Corporation, our basic human resource development policy is to "maximize the potential of everyone and turn them into a valuable asset in order to achieve business growth with a medium-term perspective." To strengthen the organizational capabilities that support business growth, we continuously secure the necessary personnel aligned with our business plan, acquire organizational capabilities, and aim to achieve the right person in the right place that aligns with individual career development and engagement. In addition to providing "company-designated learning opportunities" to learn the attitudes and skills required at each grade level, we also provide "support for designing one's own learning" to promote autonomous learning and reskilling.

● Benesse Corporation's Capability Development and Training System

● Support measures for capacity development

• • Skill Development Point System: 100,000 yen per person per year in support for skill development. Each employee plans and implements their own skill development plan.
• • Online learning platform "Udemy": All employees can access unlimited courses. It also serves as a foundation for self-learning and in-house training programs.
• • Reskilling Leave: 3 days of paid leave for learning purposes.
• • DX Certification Acquisition Program: Encourages employees to enhance their expertise in digital and IT. Supports the costs of acquiring and maintaining eligible certifications (PMP, Scrum Master, Product Owner, etc.).

● Unification of skills development and goal management

Since fiscal year 2021, we have introduced a system that integrates a goal-based evaluation system with a self-learning foundation. Employees communicate with their supervisors via the system about what learning is necessary to enhance the value of their work, and update their learning accordingly. Supervisors can also monitor the progress of these efforts, and knowledge such as training materials and videos that were previously confined to individual organizations are now shared company-wide, increasing opportunities to engage in practical learning. From fiscal year 2022, we introduced a "career plan" into the same system. Everyone uses a worksheet to inventory their career history, experience, and qualifications, and to clarify their intentions regarding future directions, making their career direction visible. In addition to conducting progress and evaluation interviews regarding goals at the mid-term and end-of-term, we have established a system for communicating with supervisors as needed, based on individual learning, skill development, and work situations, regarding strengths and future skill development themes. Furthermore, as an initiative to improve the quality of management, we are implementing multidimensional performance evaluations (360-degree surveys).

[Benesse Corporation employee training expense record]

(March term)