Why Niijima Gakuen Junior College Teaches Business Through Food | The Secret Story Behind the Birth of the Food Business Major
At Niijima Gakuen Junior College in Takasaki City, Gunma Prefecture, a new major called the "Food Business Major" was launched last April.
In this major, students cultivate practical experience and the knowledge required of professionals through classes that combine "food" and "business."
Why was such a major created in the land of Gunma? Behind its conception lay an objective analysis of the local food-related environment and a strategy that turned the constraints unique to a two-year junior college into an advantage.
In this article, through interviews with Board Chair Yuasa and President Takayama, we will introduce the circumstances under which this major was born and the kind of learning it aims to provide to students.
Turning Gunma's "Ordinary" into Value
Gunma Prefecture is blessed with a rich agricultural environment and is a region where high-quality ingredients are readily available. However, for students growing up locally, this rich food environment is perceived as "ordinary," and there has been a challenge where its business value and potential are often overlooked.
Niijima Gakuen Junior College was searching for a solution to this sense of challenge. In the midst of this, there was a hint in a class taught by President Takayama himself.
In lectures covering "Japanese traditional culture" and "food history," the students showed a very positive reaction.
The theme of "food" does not stop at mere knowledge of ingredients. It is a gateway that connects not only to business but to all areas, from the distribution of ingredients and economic trends to systems of agricultural production and the national policies surrounding them.
Seeing the students' reactions, the faculty began to see a direction: "If we use the universal theme of food, couldn't students learn business proactively?"
Building a Practical Curriculum That Turns the Junior College's "Two Years" Into an Advantage
In recent years, there has been an increasing trend of high school students wanting to study management and business. However, learning at a junior college has the time constraint of two years.
It is not realistic to digest everything from the basics to the application of business in this limited period through classroom learning alone.
Therefore, in the Food Business Major, we decided to take an approach that connects directly with the external environment, such as local farmers and food companies, rather than completing everything within the classroom.
With the cooperation of external companies, we expose students to the front lines of primary, secondary, and tertiary industries, allowing them to learn actual business processes firsthand. By doing this, we have prepared an environment where they can intensively cultivate a business sense that cannot be obtained through classroom lectures alone within the short period of two years.
The Speed Born from Board Chair Yuasa's Understanding and the University's Freedom
Since there had been almost no attention paid to such initiatives until now, President Takayama believed that it should be focused on as a new challenge.
Furthermore, when Chairman Yuasa of the school was thinking seriously about the future of the college, he encountered this idea and readily agreed, saying, "I can also introduce various people."
From there, President Takayama, Chairman Yuasa, and the college united as one, and the "Food Business Major" project began to move forward.
Chairman Yuasa manages "Aritaya," a long-established soy sauce brewery with a 190-year history in the neighboring town of Annaka, and is someone who is directly involved in both food and business.
Because he is a player in the field himself, he fully understood that there is a high need for talent in this area from local businesses as well.
This project has a history of being launched as an initiative from the northern Kanto region, in a way that also meets the expectations of the local community.
In addition, the environment unique to a college, which is not bound by the Course of Study like junior high and high schools and allows for the free modification of classes and curricula, became the catalyst for suddenly concretizing this practical concept.
Becoming independent individuals who can survive in society through the theme of "food"
What the Food Business Major at Niijima Gakuen Junior College values is that the goal is not just to "train food experts." "Food" is merely a subject for understanding the structure of business.
How products are made, through what channels they are distributed, and ultimately who buys them and how. Through practical learning via "food," students understand the realistic mechanisms of the market.
It functions as a place for "warm-up exercises" for students to connect with society themselves, cultivate logical thinking in the business field, and play an active role in society.
The Food Business Major at Niijima Gakuen Junior College is not just a place to provide knowledge, but a place to acquire "logical weapons to survive in society" through practice and challenge.
If you would like to study in such a place, please check the college's open campus or the articles on this account.
[Notice of Open Campus]
We have prepared opportunities for detailed explanations of the Food Business Major and for you to talk directly with teachers and current students. Participation by parents is also very welcome. We are waiting for not only high school students but also working adults who want to relearn.
▼Click here for details and application