#Japan #Tokyo #Skills Development #Pasona Group #Open Badge

Pasona Group Shines at the 2023 Open Badge Awards

Pasona Group, headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, has recently achieved recognition at the 3rd Open Badge Awards by winning the Encouragement Award for the Corporate Division. This honor, awarded by the Open Badge Network, acknowledges Pasona's unique internal skill assessment system linked to national examinations, as well as its extensive support programs for both dispatched personnel and external talent.

Since the introduction of open badges in 2021, Pasona Group has made significant strides in developing its workforce. The company has issued approximately 2,900 badges across 54 unique types, specifically targeting DX personnel within the company and expert staff who work through its group, along with reskilling initiatives aimed at external talent. This commitment to fostering a skilled workforce is evident in the tailored programs offered to employees.

The Open Badge Awards seeks to honor organizations that effectively contribute to human resource development and management through the utilization of open badges. Pasona Group stood out during this year's judging process for several key reasons:

1. Building a Competency Model: Pasona has developed and made visible an internal competency model linked with national exams such as the IT Passport. This transparency helps in identifying areas of skill development within the organization.
2. Design and Behavioral Change: The badge system is thoughtfully designed to promote behavioral change among employees, ensuring that the badges earned reflect genuine skills and competencies.
3. Integrated Human Resource Strategy: Pasona's strategy supports a coherent approach across employees, dispatched workers, and external development programs, which helps in fostering a unified workforce.

Pasona Group's vision goes beyond simply issuing badges; it aims to promote visibility of skills beyond corporate boundaries, encouraging individuals to autonomously develop their careers. The company plans to enhance transparency on how these badges are utilized post-issuance and authoring outcomes of reskilling initiatives as a means of supporting broader corporate disclosures on human capital.

As Pasona Group accelerates its human resource development initiatives through open badges, it continues to reinforce its commitment to the realization of human capital management within Japanese enterprises.

Key Initiatives in Digital Talent Development at Pasona Group

• - Reskilling Initiative Launch (2021): This six-month training program targets selected managers and mid-level staff within Pasona Group to cultivate DX leaders.
• - Hybrid Career Program (2022): This initiative focuses on employees in their fourth and fifth years at Pasona, offering a mix of workplace responsibilities and digital literacy training over six months.
• - DX Training for Beginners & RPA Development Program (2023): Pasona has commenced basic training programs about DX and six-month skill development in programming and RPA for internal candidates.
• - DX Beginners & Leaders Program (2023): External workshops designed to foster a positive mindset towards DX and cultivate leaders through cross-industry exchanges over three months.
• - IT Passport Success Program (2025): A community-driven program aimed at supporting employees in successfully obtaining the IT Passport certification.

Note:* Open badges function as digital certificates that are embedded with metadata certifying knowledge and skills, in compliance with globally recognized technical standards. Each badge provides information on the earners, issuers, criteria for attainment, and validity periods.