AOTS and Its Main Activities
Outline of AOTS
The Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS) was established in 1959 with the support of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (which is the present Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry: METI) as the first technical cooperation organization on a private basis in Japan. Its main purpose is to promote international economic cooperation and enhance mutual economic development and friendly relations between those countries and Japan. The main activities of AOTS are as follows:
| (1) |
Training of engineers and managers from developing countries in Japan |
| (2) |
Training of engineers and managers in overseas countries |
| (3) |
Management of Kenshu Centers |
In the year of its establishment, AOTS accepted only 43 trainees. At present, however, it receives more than 5,000 trainees in Japan, and, including those who attend overseas training programs as well as distance training programs, AOTS offers training to more than 14,000 people annually. The total number of returned trainees amounts to almost 122,000. These people are actively engaged in the industrial development of their respective nations. The returned trainees have voluntarily formed Alumni Societies in many countries. These Alumni Societies have organized the World Network of Friendship, through which trainee exchange programs are being undertaken.
Our four Kenshu Centers, located in Tokyo, Yokohama, Kansai (in Osaka), and Chubu (in Aichi), can accommodate up to 1,000 trainees in total so as to be able to deal with the further expansion of AOTS activities.
Features of AOTS Activities
| (1) |
Utilization of the ODA Fund under the Japanese government’s policy for technical cooperation |
| (2) |
Lending support to HRD in the industrial sector and establishment of industrial infrastructure such as Industrial Property Rights |
| (3) |
Lending support to the overseas business development of Japanese private companies which in turn helps to promote economic development in developing countries |
| (4) |
Promotion of cross-cultural exchange for mutual understandings |
AOTS Training Activities
| 1 Training Programs in Japan |
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| (1) |
Technical Training Programs
After introductory training (General Orientation Course) to acquire Japanese language ability and knowledge of Japanese society, specialized technical training is carried out under the relevant training programs at host companies for the participant to acquire skills or techniques in specific fields. |
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| (2) |
Management Training Programs
These programs are group training designed for top and middle managers to meet an urgent need to have people with excellent managerial abilities as well as those with proper skills and techniques. |
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| Japanese Language Lesson during General Orientation Course |
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| 2 Overseas Training Programs |
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The training programs are group training carried out in overseas countries with instructors dispatched from Japan. It is divided into two types: overseas training for participants from the country where it is held, and third-country type for participants from neighboring countries. Some programs are organized based on applications from companies or organizations that wish to implement them, and others are planned and conducted by AOTS itself. |
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| 3 Distance Training Program |
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To widen training opportunities and upgrade regular training programs, AOTS carries out distance training programs such as conducting lectures by using a Video Conference System, implementing WBT (Web-Based Training) via the Internet, etc. |
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| 4 Training Program for SMEs |
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To assist the global business activities of Japanese SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises), AOTS provides engineers and managers of SMEs with training courses both in Japan and overseas countries. |
AOTS Alumni Societies
As of March 2006, there were 70 AOTS Alumni Societies in 43 countries. Those Alumni Societies have established “World Network of Friendship (WNF)”, a network promoting world-wide cooperation amongst the alumni societies in the field of HRD based on self-help and the mutual cooperation.
