We want to work on the localization of manuals for education and guidance in order to prepare for the full-scale operation of the subsidiary in Vietnam

Q.Why did your company decide to take on interns? What did you aim to achieve?

Our company is engaged in the manufacturing and sales of confectionery using crops harvested in Tokushima Prefecture as raw materials. In 2017, we established a subsidiary in Vietnam. We sent our head office staff there to give education and guidance to the Vietnamese staff, however, it did not work so much because of limited duration and members. We felt that "easy-to-understand manuals for Vietnamese staff" created from the Vietnamese perspective would be necessary in order to implement sanitary management and quality control comparable to those in Japan. Therefore we accepted the Vietnamese interns to get help from them for preparing the manuals that explain objectives and methods of tasks. For example, the task of "washing hands" that would be not only translated but also accompanied by some texts in consideration of the value and thought of the Vietnamese could lead to effective guidance and education. In addition, as we expected that advice on the development of products for the Vietnamese market and exchange between the head office staff and the Vietnamese interns would raise the interest in the subsidiary, we applied for the program.

Better understanding of the workflow from manufacturing to sales which led to manual preparation and proposals for product development.

Q.What kind of internship did you run? What difficulties did you face and how did you resolve them?

Prior to manual preparation, we gave the interns experience with four jobs (manufacturing, quality control, product development and business planning). Based on the experience, we asked them to work on the preparation and translation of operation manuals and books for terminology. When experiencing manufacturing and quality control in the factory, we explained to them the procedure for entry, inspection, systems for efficient production and importance of talking to each other and communication. It was hard to explain technical terms and jargons, but we spent so much time giving to the interns correct understanding as much as possible because their understanding would lead to the understanding of the staff of the subsidiary in Vietnam. For the understanding of product development, the interns joined the trial production of a new product and gave their feedback and opinions about the taste, flavor, package and pricing. For the understanding of business planning, we entrusted to the interns the translation of materials for sales and marketing, and engaged them in the planning for and attendance at the Halloween event of an university in Tokushima to leave sales strategies and marketing to them. In addition, the interns also tried the "Potato Digging Training" program, which new employees participate in, and experienced the Awa dance together with the people of companies in the prefecture that participated in this program, promoting exchange with other communities beyond our company.

Collaboration promoted mutual understanding, and the operation based on the manuals started at the factory in Vietnam.

Q.Comparing before and after the internship, what effects did it have on you, your employees, or your organization?

One of the greatest results was that "easy-to-understand manuals for Vietnamese staff" from the Vietnamese perspective, which was the main focus, were successfully prepared. As the interns experienced various departments, they could develop the manuals that reflected the experience and knowledge of more employees. We will begin to use them at our factory in Vietnam immediately. Through the internship, we could understand the expressions and explanations that were easy (or difficult) for the Vietnamese to understand. In addition, it was a great advance that we could establish a methodology of effective guidance and education for Vietnamese staff. This was our first experience of accepting foreign human resources for a long term, but what surprised us was their power of action and aggressiveness as highly skilled workers. They asked so many questions even about one simple task that we could grasp the inadequacy of our explanations, as well as their questions. In the first day of internship, we felt confused a little. However, we found them fitting in well with our company while exchanging opinions about sweets and getting knowledge of the food culture of Vietnam from them. Making use of the successful result of the internship this time, we would like to keep on trying to pursue "Japan quality and Ichioka quality" in the future.