Kiwi
Consultants
Corporate and University Services
Kiwi College's
current range of services are the culmination of over 20 years experience
in Corporate Japan and eight years in academia. In a very easy to enter
industry with more than its share of fly by night operators or those who
have never left the education system, Kiwi College stands out for the broad
range of experience of its management which is very mindful of clients'
need for cost and time effective training programs, and quality, reliable
documentation services. The sudden and often wrenching changes now coursing
through the Japanese economy brought about by deregulation, post-bubble
economy trauma and the advent of the Internet have increased the need for
real progress in employee English and other foreign language capability.
At the same time, pressure on training budgets means that the cost and time
effectiveness of training programs is of paramount importance.
After years of teaching classes of tired, sullen salarymen and women in
mainly after work classes, it did not take a genius to realise that much
of it was a waste of time. Accordingly, our company programs are based on
the following three principles.
- Commitment by senior management. The client's serious commitment
to the program and its objectives in the form of a written statement by
the president of his support for the program and its goals, and the issuance
of directives giving those responsible for the program the authority to
ensure the provision of all that is required for it to be executed properly
is extremely important. This support from the top is a recognition that
the country's problems with communicating with and understanding the outside
world are equally as important as the quality problems that initially led
to the attitudes and effort that resulted in Japan's current dominant position
in manufacturing quality control and assurance.
- The adoption of clearly defined targets and incentives for program
participants. All courses/programs should be monitored and evaluated
by entry and exit tests and other means, and those students who do well,
rewarded with overseas study opportunities.
Our two main areas of operation and their respective advantages are set
out below.
Foreign
Language and Cultural Awareness Courses
In-company language and cultural awareness courses
-
On going in company language acquisition courses Over twenty years experience
with teaching company employees has enabled us to:
- Develop basic oral communications courses that are effective in a corporate
environment using both commercially available and in-house material;
- Identify and employ, mature, responsible and effective teachers. Many
companies and schools are content to employ young, inexperienced foreigners
simply on the grounds that they are "warm (alive) and white" from
an English speaking country. Kiwi College management's long experience in
the industry and the contacts that go with it, enable us to find and employ
mature experienced teachers who have some relationship with Japan, such
as marriage to a Japanese national or serious study of the language and
culture, as well as experience of life outside the education system, such
as in the corporate world or military. Although such people are understandably
more expensive to hire, we know from experience that they are well worth
it, being more cost effective.
-
Short term intensive courses (See special courses below)
Special courses The increasingly global nature
of the business environment in which Japanese companies are forced to operate
and compete demands special skills in addition to those provided by the
language and cultural awareness listed above such as :
- Presentation training courses As companies increasingly operate
internationally across national and cultural boundaries, the ability to
sell products, concepts and ideas to an English speaking international
audience is of increasing importance. Our presentation courses are the
result of the principal's experience as an intelligence and senior staff
officer making presentations at the cabinet and prime ministerial level
in government and as an instructor of such courses to salaried employees
in a wide range of companies in Japan. The latter is very important as
it involves a first hand knowledge of the major and significant cultural
differences between the role and nature of public speaking in Japan and
foreign cultures.
- Writing courses, both technical and business communications While
the ability to communicate verbally in English is very important, much
communication in the electronic age is written, be it in the form of technical
or operations manuals, or by fax, e-mail or the creation or larger documents
such as Internet postings or PDF files. Our extensive experience in the
documentation field as well as teaching the language has enabled us to
develop the materials and teaching expertise to improve employee skills
in this area very quickly through in-company classes and/or internet/email
courses.
- Specialised, industry specific courses,e.g. for financial, computer and
other businesses Many industries and disciplines have developed their
own jargon within the wider language, and Kiwi College's policy of employing
only mature teachers with experience in government, the military and industry
enables us to create and teach such courses with confidence. The fact that
many of our teachers are also translators and editors in a wide rage of
technical fields means they actually know the technicalities of the subject
they are teaching the language of, e.g., computers, finance etc. which
many of the "young, warm and white " do not.
Longer term overseas courses
A series of expensive court cases and other public relations related problems
have clearly shown that the ability of Japanese corporations to operate
effectively and profitably in an increasingly interconnected world is compromised
not just by language problems, but cultural insensitivity as well. Because
our Kiwi College study and homestay in New Zealand programs are a non-profit
service in Japan, the most cost effective way of improving employee's English
language skills and knowledge of foreign culture and mentality is to send
them on such courses. These courses are run in conjunction with New Zealand
universities, polytechnics and leading private schools, and Kiwi College
offers courses in a wide range of subjects and uses such as :
Freshman training programs : In addition to language training
and cultural understanding courses, we also offer character building and
teamwork and leadership training programs, either independently or integrated
with other courses and tailored to meet client requirements. many managers
in Japanese companies have complained to the principal over the years of
the lack of initiative and aversion to risk in many young company recruits.
In response, Kiwi College has developed, in cooperation with special outdoor
activity oriented private English schools in New Zealand, courses that
integrate the learning of English with the development of self confidence,
leadership and teamwork skills through participation in supervised outdoor
activities such as rock climbing, kayaking, white water rafting etc. These
programs are based on similar courses used by the military and special
character building schools such as Outward Bound ,and are run by trained
physical education instructors who are also qualified professional English
teachers.
Computer skills : The arrival of the IT revolution and its global
nature has highlighted the need for staff with both English and at least
basic computer and Internet skills., but many Japanese companies can not
find enough Japanese with such skills and are forced to employ expensive
foreigners. Our study in New Zealand courses are designed to alleviate
this problem. As an English speaking country with a good education system
which has fully integrated computers into the education system from the
primary school level since the 1970s, New Zealand is ideally placed to
provide the acquisition of such skills in a very time and cost effective
manner.
Documentation services
Kiwi College and its predecessor company, Francis Japan Ltd., has long
experience in the documentation field, having provided translation, editing
and rewriting services across a wide range of subject matter ranging from
public relations materials and press releases, through political and economic
reporting to the high technologies with which many Japanese companies in
the Fuyo, Mitsui and Yokogawa groups and others are involved.
Major fields are:
Automotive technology and business
Electronics; discrete devices, software, systems integration, military applications,
consumer electronics and computers, control and instrumentation systems
technology and business etc.
Heavy engineering:
Shipbuilding
and marine structure related business and technologies
Nuclear
engineering
Waste
disposal and environmental engineering
Construction
technology
Weapons related technologies
Economic papers
Public relations and sales documents
Product manuals
Operational procedure manuals
Click here for examples of our recent
documentation work
For further information, including translation, editing and other rates,
click here.
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