Job hunting for university students who will graduate next spring will start in earnest next month.

As interest in the United Nations' SDGs = Sustainable Development Goals grows, companies are holding a series of events to appeal their efforts in these areas to students.

On the 17th, a seminar for corporate and industry research on the theme of "SDGs" was held online.



Twelve companies, including precision equipment sales companies and daily necessities manufacturers, participated.

In addition, about 800 students applied for participation in advance.



The person in charge of each company emphasized that the electricity used to produce the main products is covered only by renewable energy, and that new employment is being created locally through the afforestation business overseas. Was there.



Mr. Yasuko Ota of "Ricoh Japan" who participated said, "Students who are highly conscious of'SDGs' are human resources who can think about social issues and take action, so they are actively hired. I want to do it. "



The host company held its first seminar on the theme of "SDGs" in July last year, but it was well received by both companies and students, so it was decided to hold this seminar.



Mr. Gen Nakashita of the employment information company "J Broad", which sponsored the event, said, "I feel that interest in" SDGs "is rapidly increasing for both students and companies. In the near future, it will be possible to select a company from the perspective of" SDGs. " It will be a matter of course. "



Also, on the 13th of this month, an event for corporate research on the theme of environment and "SDGs" was held online, and about 340 students participated and what they think about reducing carbon dioxide emissions. I was asking a question.



One of the university students who participated said, "I participated because I wanted to choose a company that would contribute to the achievement of the'SDGs' as a place of employment. Partly due to the influence of the new coronavirus, I came to understand social issues as my own. I feel that there are many students who are interested in SDGs. "

New job hunting site

As awareness of the "SDGs" grows, there is also a move to launch a new job hunting site for students interested in this field.



This website, named "Ethical Job Hunting," will be launched in April by a company represented by Hitoshi Katsumi, a fourth-year university student in Tokyo.



Introduced on the site are various efforts that each company is making toward the realization of a sustainable society, and information such as salary and benefits introduced on general job hunting sites will not be posted. ..



On the other hand, each student registered on the site posts his or her own activities related to environmental protection on the profile.

You can also comment on the efforts of companies that you are interested in, and he hopes that this will lead to a dialogue between students and companies, which will lead to employment.



About 300 students have already registered, and by the time the service starts in April, companies are aiming to register about 50 companies and students are aiming to register about 1000 students.



Mr. Katsumi said, "I think that companies have a strong awareness that they must work on the SDGs now, so I would like to create a mechanism to match students with high interests to solve social issues." ..

Reform of corporate awareness Some people struggle

When I was a student, some people tackled the issue of climate change, and now as new employees, struggle to change the mindset of the company.



This is Sayaka Miyazaki, who joined a printing company in Yokohama last April.

Under the influence of Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, he has been advocating the need for measures against global warming by participating in demonstrations during his college days.



When I was looking for a job, I focused on whether or not I was environmentally friendly, and decided to get a job because the current company was active in introducing renewable energy and using materials that are not derived from petroleum.



Tetsuro Okawa, president of Okawa Printing, who hired Mr. Miyazaki, said, "I hired him because I wanted him to create an opportunity to change the company in order to respond to the drastic changes in society."



As part of this, a study session was started this month to encourage all employees to learn about global warming issues.

Miya * Saki, the youngest employee, will be the instructor.



Mr. Miyazaki introduced how he became interested in the issue of global warming, and then talked about the fact that the generations below the current youth will be seriously damaged by global warming. I appealed for its importance.



Mr. Miyazaki said, "Unlike when I was a student, who was surrounded by people of the same generation who had similar ideas, I also find it difficult to spread understanding to parents and older generations. I want to speak in my own words. "



President Okawa said, "In the face of major social problems such as global warming and the new coronavirus, I feel that the number of young people who have their own ideas and take action is increasing. Mr. Miyazaki's presence causes a" chemical reaction "in the company. If it leads to a change in employee awareness, "he said.