Succession planning

Benesse Holdings, situating the matter of planning for and training successors to the position of Representative Director and President as a vital issue, has formulated a succession plan for the Representative Director and President and works to implement it. Specifically, we work to organize candidate requirements, list candidates and evaluate them on an individual basis, consider where they should be placed, and provide training. In formulating and implementing the succession plan for the Representative Director and President, the Nomination and Compensation Committee—where outside directors constitute the majority, and which is chaired by an outside director—deliberates to ensure transparency and objectivity in the formulation and implementation of the succession plan.

 ● Process for selection of Chief Executive Officer

Program to raise leaders for the next generation

We started the Next Generation Leader Development Program in 2010, focusing on cultivating the next generation of top management who will lead the growth of the Group. This program targets individuals who can take on leadership roles in operating companies, providing a continuous and systematic approach to their development. In addition to implementing programs in line with each development plan, such as training for selected candidates, dispatching them to external organizations, and coaching, the program provides regular opportunities for management to share information and review it from various perspectives.

In addition, as part of the Career Development Conference that began in FY2023, we have provided opportunities for management to share information on executives and outstanding talent across the company and to review development policies.

Developing digital human capital

The Benesse Group has recognized the securing and development of digital human resources as a particularly important theme to enhance its organizational capability and achieve its medium-term management plan. As the need for IT and digital utilization increases across various business sectors, we are defining the skills required for each DX position in order to meet the need for DX talent. This involves understanding the skills of all employees and calculating the number of DX positions based on business needs, thereby visualizing the status of DX position fulfillment. We are working to fill the positions that are in short supply through measures to reskill existing employees. In FY2023, the fulfillment rate of DX positions was 85.3% (80.1% in FY2022).

In addition, the company is also focusing on reskilling existing employees to develop talent capable of driving transformation. Along with on-the-job training at work sites, the company provides support for skill development by offering training programs that include a wealth of internal case studies. In the area of general knowledge, we have set up an environment where employees can freely use "Udemy Business," a business-related digital video platform consisting of more than 210,000 courses. The number of participants in the training programs for FY2023 reached a total of 9,199 (141% of the previous year).* To enable each employee to progress in their own reskilling, we provide assessments that measure their current level of IT knowledge at the IT Passport level. Based on the results, we also recommend the most appropriate learning content for each individual.

* Benesse Corporation

●DX Human Resource Development Strategy Overview

Human Resource Development System

Benesse Corporation, a major subsidiary of the Benesse Group and responsible for the education business, has a basic human resource development policy of "maximizing the potential of all employees and turning them into a competitive force in order to achieve business growth with a medium-term perspective. In order to strengthen the organization's ability to support business growth, we aim to continuously secure the necessary human resources consistent with the business plan, acquire organizational capabilities, and assign the right people to the right positions consistent with the career development and engagement of individuals. In addition to providing "company-designated learning opportunities" to learn the attitudes and skills required for each grade stage, we provide "support for employees to design their own learning" to promote autonomous learning and reskilling.

● Capacity Building and Training System at Benesse Corporation

● Capacity Building and Training System at Benesse Corporation

• • Capacity Development Point System: Provides 100,000 yen per person per year for skill development support. Each employee plans and implements the program on their own.
• • Online learning platform “Udemy”: All employees have unlimited access to courses. Also serves as a foundation for self-learning and in-house training courses.
• • Reskilling leave: Offers 3 days paid leave for learning purposes.
• • DX Qualification System: Employees are encouraged to enhance their expertise in digital and IT fields. Supports acquisition and maintenance costs based on the applicable certification (PMP, Scrum Master, Product Owner, etc.)

• Benesse Corporation: Capacity Building and Careers [Japanese]

● Centralized competence development and goal management

Beginning in FY2021, we have implemented a system that integrates a goal evaluation system and a self-learning platform. Employees communicate with their supervisors on the system about what kind of learning they need to do to increase the value of their work and update their own learning. In fiscal year 2022, we introduced a "career plan" into the system. All employees take stock of their background, experience, and qualifications, and visualize their career direction by using a worksheet to clarify their future direction and other intentions. In addition to conducting progress and evaluation interviews for mid-term and year-end goals, the system is designed to facilitate communication with supervisors on strengths and future skill development themes as appropriate to individual learning, skill development, and work situations. In addition, a multidimensional performance evaluation (360-degree survey) is conducted as an effort to improve the quality of management.

[Training Expenses for Benesse Corporation Employees]

(Fiscal year ended March 31 of each year)

Benesse Style Care, another major subsidiary of the Benesse Group and responsible for the nursing care business, aims to improve the quality of life of its customers, in other words, to bring them closer to the way they want to be. To this end, we have established a training and development system that provides each employee with the knowledge, skills, and practical abilities necessary to become a "nursing care professional" in a step-by-step manner, so that each employee can be attentive to customers, think and act on his or her own initiative, and provide services. For those employees who wish to further master their expertise, we have an in-house qualification system called the "Specialty Qualification System" (internal name: Majikami System), which defines the "ultimate expertise". Majikami" are "skilled caregivers" who solve problems with evidence and lead their teams to improve residents' quality of life. The four specialized qualifications under the Majikami System are "dementia care," "safety management and prevention of recurrence," "nursing care techniques," and "medical coordination & ACP*. Employees who attend training to obtain each certification and pass the certification exam become "Majikami". In addition, we also have a support system for acquiring national qualifications such as care worker and care support specialist and focus on fostering professionalism. In addition, on April 1, 2023, we established the Benesse Style Care Academy to further strengthen the development of human resources within the company and promote initiatives to return knowledge to society.

 * ACP: Advance Care Planning (Life Conference). A process in which the person himself/herself, family members, and the medical and care team repeatedly discuss in advance about medical treatment and care in the final stage of life.

● Capacity Building and Training System in Benesse Style Care

● Capacity Development Support Measures

• • Majikami System: Since October 2019, the "Ultimate Specialization" in caregiving has been made an in-house qualification. Employees who obtain this professional certification are provided with a qualification allowance. As of FY2023, the cumulative number of certified employees is 292, with the goal of more than 600 by FY2025.
• • Support System for the Acquisition of Qualifications:
  • Subsidies for training for entry-level nursing care workers
  • Subsidies for training for practical nursing care workers
  • Full coverage for the national examination for nursing care workers and free access to preparatory courses
  • Full coverage for the examination for nursing care support specialists and free access to preparatory courses
  • Full coverage for practical training for nursing care support specialists
  • Full coverage for training courses for instructors of preventive exercise for nursing care workers
• • Self-Development Support System: For nursing staff (full-time, contract, part-time, and semi-full-time), physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists (full-time), we provide subsidies for the purchase of books and attendance at trainings and seminars to support the acquisition of more specialized knowledge.

• Benesse Style Care: Education [Japanese]

● Capacity Development and Goal Management

Benesse has introduced a "Growth Plan" to manage goals and develop skills by considering how we want to grow and what value we want to provide for whom. Based on the “Five Styles of Service” and “Three Styles of Work,” which are in turn based on our “Five core values” of customer care, we always check for discrepancies between the company and employees’ expectations. We look at the current situation and consult with our managers and take steps to utilize their expertise.
Specifically, we use a sheet called "Growth Plan," in which employees themselves first express their "aspirations" and "expertise" that they would like to enhance. Then, based on the "expectations of the company," at the beginning of each fiscal year, employees set goals for the year with their supervisors. In addition to progress and evaluation interviews at the middle and end of each fiscal year, we communicate with employees on a daily basis to help them achieve their goals and enhance their expertise.

● Group Open Recruitment

After acquiring new skills and knowledge, we offer a group open recruitment system that allows employees to apply for their next career move across Group companies to utilize their reskilling for self-fulfillment. This system provides an opportunity for employees to proactively seek new job challenges, supporting and respecting their autonomous career development.