Human resource development

Panel discussion attended by leaders from around the world

At the session held on November 12, 2009, we focused on the manufacture of products for high-volume segments, a theme critical to our global growth, and used our HD Visual Communication System to link forum sites in Japan, Singapore, and Shanghai in real time. The 400 or so participants included Panasonic executive management and staff from various business segments, including front-line leaders from China, Indonesia, Singapore, and many other countries. A frank exchange of opinions covering current business issues and future strategy took place through a range of reports on activities and panel discussions.

Entrance ceremony at Manufacturing Technical College (China)

Panasonic has operated internal schools in Japan for about five decades that train individuals to become leaders in the field of manufacturing technology. Due to the shift of manufacturing activity to other countries and more prominent role of factories outside of Japan, there is an increasing need to develop personnel to be production leaders at our companies in other countries too.

To conduct training in China, the Manufacturing Technical College (China) was established in the city of Hangzhou, in Zhejiang Province, in April 2009. The aim is to accelerate the localization of operations in this country by increasing the number of local managers. In Vietnam, we established the Institute of Manufacturing (Vietnam). Located in Hanoi, the college trains leaders and sub-leaders who can take responsibility for operating and improving Panasonic factories. Both of these learning facilities take advantage of knowledge gained from Panasonic's schools in Japan. The curriculum is tailored to target education levels and is designed to develop employees into well-rounded leaders with skills in management, manufacturing technology and driving innovation. We receive positive feedback from managers of attendees. A manager in China reported a marked increase in frontline skills when a well-drilled participant returned to the workplace, as evidenced by 50 proposals for improvements in half a day back at work. A manager in Vietnam noted a marked difference in motivation before and after the training; there was a noticeable change in self-awareness as a leader and in the way the trainee instructed workers on production lines.

[Actual Personnel Rotation (Fiscal 2008~2010)]

At Panasonic, we actively work to encourage human resource development through staff interaction, and have built a number of programs to support individuals in their efforts regardless of age, gender, or nationality. In the three years of our previous mid-term plan (fiscal 2008 through fiscal 2010), a total of 11,700 staff participated in such rotation from three angles: between business segments, between different manufacturing processes, and between Japan and outside Japan.

Panasonic runs “Career Design Training” for employees when they turn 35, 45 and 50 years of age. In this program, employees reflect on their lives to date, taking stock of their experiences and achievements as corporate employees. At the same time, the program clarifies the necessary steps these employees must take to enhance their skill sets to increase their employability and rebuild their long-term life plans under a difficult economic environment to achieve autonomy and robustness, so that they achieve more success in the future. The training is held over two days at a human resource development company and at each workplace. Approximately 1,500 employees took part in this training program in fiscal 2010. One attendee said: “The course gave me the time and opportunity to reflect on my career at an important juncture in my life and to think thoroughly about my working life going forward as well as retirement.”

Panasonic seeks people who can take on global challenges. We want individuals with the traits required to succeed: strong motivation along with a global perspective; specialized skills and other outstanding strengths; and the perseverance to stick with a project to its conclusion. Panasonic welcomes these kinds of people anywhere in the world regardless of their race, nationality, age or gender.

Our recruiting process places the highest priority on giving everyone equal employment opportunities and on respecting the basic human rights of each applicant. Final decisions are based on an individual's skills and suitability for the job.

In order to ensure that our hiring practices are fair, we conduct training programs for all departments associated with recruiting. We hold corporate recruiting conferences as one way to thoroughly prevent discrimination when processing application forms, conducting aptitude tests or interviews, and performing other steps of the selection process.