Please note that JavaScript and style sheet are used in this website,
Due to unadaptability of the style sheet with the browser used in your computer, pages may not look as original.
Even in such a case, however, the contents can be used safely.

Human Resources Development

Policy

Based on a self-development approach (an approach where employees take the initiative to develop their own skills), NEC aims to develop human resources who contribute to businesses by implementing The NEC Way.

To this end, NEC implements various human resources (HR) development programs, which are organized around the three core objectives of "strengthening operational capabilities," "cultivating professionals" and "developing management personnel."

Framework

The executive-led HR Development Promotion Committee discusses and determines shared Company-wide HR development issues and training initiatives.
Based on Company-wide policies determined in this way, HR development activities are implemented through cooperation among the HR Development Division of NEC Corporation, the divisions responsible for HR development within each Business Unit (BU) and NEC Group company, and NEC Learning, Ltd., an NEC Group company that specializes in promoting human resource development across the NEC Group.

In order to promote human resources development according to the business characteristics of each business unit, the HR Development Promotion Committee is convened for each business unit including NEC Group companies.

Systems

Common and Job-specific Training

Our training organization, which plays an important part in achieving the above objectives, is comprised of common training courses that all employees of NEC Corporation take or select from and job-specific courses that are developed for each different type of occupation to hone job-specific professional skills.

A wide range of common training courses is offered, from those aimed at employees throughout the company, to courses taken upon promotion or for which employees are specifically selected. Job-specific courses fall into the category of enhancement of expertise for those employees seeking to become professionals in a specific field. The following is a description of some of the key programs and related policies in each of these categories.

HR Development Programs

Global cultivation of human resources

NEC conducts business around the world, and implements a variety of programs for the development of global human resources.
For domestic employees, these include management training for staff targeted for key management positions at overseas subsidiaries; a global personnel expansion program, designed to develop staff capable of promoting global business; and the "EI-1 Grand Prix," an English-language program to give staff an interest in and basic skills for doing business overseas. NEC also proactively provides overseas training assignments and study abroad opportunities to employees.
For employees at overseas locations, in addition to programs provided in each country, a common global e-learning system is used to provide company-wide common training programs, beginning with sharing the NEC Group Vision and Core Values. E-learning content covering technical and management skills is also available to be shared worldwide.
In recent years, NEC has also been upgrading programs to provide local staff at overseas subsidiaries with job training at the head office in Japan.

NEC certified professional (NCP) system

Recognizing that people are the most significant resource in its IT solutions and hardware products business, the NEC Group believes it is important to develop highly specialized professionals who can deliver true value to customers. The NEC Certified Professional (NCP) system was introduced for this purpose. Approximately 13,000 individuals have been certified as career professionals under the NCP system as of the end of March, 2012.
For each personnel category such as SE or service personnel, the NCP system divides qualifications into four grades that define increasing degrees of specialization corresponding to higher market value. Within each grade, separate personnel qualifications are defined for each category based on an analysis of which business processes are critical to a field. Qualifications specify in detail the levels of skills and performance required for certification at that grade.

ISIES, an HR development information management system

NEC is currently promoting the domestic roll-out of its Self Innovation and Empowerment System (SIES), an information management system for HR development that serves as a platform for all HR development activities. The system is now in use at 34 Group companies.
The number of training days per employee registered in SIES for fiscal 2012 was 3.4 days and 3.5 days for employees of the parent company and NEC Group companies, respectively.

HR Utilization Programs

Selecting NEC Group key positions (GKPs) and developing executive-level personnel

To promote the selection of the right people for the right jobs in key positions across the Group, whether domestically or abroad, NEC identifies certain key positions, systematically recruiting employees to fill those positions while also nurturing their successors.

Internal Recruitment System

NEC's internal recruitment system helps to promote dynamism in the organization by providing independent career support to individual employees while enabling greater diversity in personnel assignments.
Under the system, recruiting divisions provide information on vacant positions, including related duties, conditions and other terms over the NEC intranet. Employees who wish to apply for such positions based on personal career aspirations may do so without having to consult a superior. Selection is based on materials submitted to and interviews conducted by the recruiting divisions. Selection leads to transfer within the organization.

Career Development Support Programs

Lifetime Career Support

Independent growth at the level of individual employees requires a continual process of self-analysis, personal change and skills development. NEC Corporation introduced the lifetime career support system (career design support) in 2002 with the aim of helping individual employees to take independent actions to promote career-long personal growth.
Work-life balance training targets NEC employees at the important career milestones of ages 30, 40 and 50 years (see below for details). The Career Parcel® system of career development-related information packages aims to help employees reaching the intermediate milestone ages of 35, 45 and 55 (see below). NEC Corporation has also appointed specialist career advisors to provide career-related advice to employees.

ライフタイムキャリア・サポート施策

Milestone-based career development training

NEC organizes work-life balance training for employees reaching career milestones at the ages of 30, 40, and 50 years. This training offers opportunities for employees to reevaluate their own careers and set skill development goals. For example, in addition to reviewing career progress, training for those aged 30 looks at actions necessary for long-term career development. In fiscal 2012, approximately 1,100 employees participated.

Career Parcel

NEC's Career Parcel system delivers information via e-mail that provides an opportunity for employees reaching the key intermediate milestone ages of 35, 45, and 55 years to take a new look at their career paths. By offering career-related and other information appropriate to each age group, Career Parcel gives these employees the chance to consider their future careers and life planning. To employees aged 55, NEC has also begun offering the Life Design Seminar Course, a self-guided Web-based training course on retirement benefits and pension plans.

Mid-career leave and career planning allowances

As part of efforts to provide employees with both time-based and financial assistance related to career development, NEC Corporation offers short, mid-career leave to employees at each career milestone at 30, 40 and 50 years of age. Employees aged 50 are also eligible to receive special "career design" allowances as financial assistance to support further career planning and development.

Career advice

Since 2002, NEC has implemented an internal system to provide employees with career advice as a way of supporting self-guided career development. A dedicated team of advisors provides specialist advice to individual employees to assist with career planning and development. The advice covers topics such as work-life balance and making objective, value-based career-related decisions. Approximately 600 employees each year receive career-related advice from NEC's seven (as of March 2012) career advisors.

Main Activities and Results (Fiscal 2012)

In fiscal 2012, we implemented the following measures based on the four key themes of our medium-term HR development targets (fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2013).

Development of Training System for NEC Group Key Position (GKP) Candidates

Revisions to NEC Management Academy (Pool-2 Training)

  • As part of putting in place a system for HR development targeting GKP candidates, NEC has revised its existing NEC Management Academy (Pool-2 training) to further target the pool of potential candidates to head business units in coming years.
    The program is comprised of management lectures, business strategy classes and sessions on 360 degree self-assessments and leadership, as well as group-based and individual business research and proposals. It is designed to nurture a leadership perspective and mindset in these management candidates, and strengthen the knowledge and skills they will need to manage and create business.
    The new program began February 2012, with participants selected from each division.


Start of organizational leadership training

  • In the second half of fiscal 2012, NEC began a new organizational leadership development training program designed to focus on nurturing management professionals, with the goal of developing future GKP candidates. Course content was set up to emphasize use of case studies based on existing NEC special MBA courses, with participants selected from across the organization working in groups to develop and present business plans.
    While the intensive courses were held over a short period of just four months, they were well-received by those participating, garnering an average satisfaction rating of 4.8 points out of a possible 5.0. The business plans developed in the course of the sessions were also presented to and reviewed by the heads of each business unit, and the relevant divisions are currently evaluating how they might be utilized going forward.


Redevelop Tier-specific Training Programs to Reinforce Management Capabilities

Start of the 100 Day Plan training program for newly appointed general managers

  • NEC has begun a new 100 day plan training program for newly appointed general managers, with the goal of quickly developing strong leaders capable of devising their own vision and driving business. In the first half of fiscal 2012, new general managers began training on the day of their appointment, starting with a one-to-one discussion with the president of NEC, and continuing for approximately 100 days, with work including a reevaluation of their own businesses and organizations, and restructuring of business plans. The process of polishing their organizational strategies and plans gave these leaders opportunities for discussions with course instructors and with their subordinates. Participants gave the program high marks, noting that it provided an excellent opportunity for thinking about how to develop their own, new styles of leadership.


Revisions to training for newly appointed senior managers

  • Since fiscal 2010, NEC has continued to provide training for newly appointed senior managers, focusing on how to establish and implement their own initiatives for change within their respective businesses and organizations. Participants work in groups of five, with an executive officer acting as a mentor for each group to support individual initiatives for change.
    With the revamping of personnel systems in fiscal 2012, a new program was begun targeting newly promoted senior managers, and continues today. To accelerate the speed of change, the original program was shortened from one year to six months, and new sessions were added covering formulation of strategy, and organizational and human resource management. NEC is working to further enhance the program by making revisions that will strengthen the commitment of senior employees to the program.


Make Global Professionals More Visible and Train These People

To further support its global growth from the personnel side, in fiscal 2011 the NEC Group began building a framework for developing professionals based on what is optimal for the global organization.
NEC has set out a global standard human resources and skills framework, intended to provide a common global scale for gauging human resources. The system involves use of a Web-based SaaS-style human resource and skill management tool to improve the visibility of personnel at overseas subsidiaries with professional skills, and their utilization across the global organization. In fiscal 2012, NEC set out the first version of this global standard human resources and skills framework, completed its SaaS-based human resources and skills management tool, and has implemented and continues to manage a skills assessment program in some of its most strategically important overseas subsidiaries.
In fiscal 2013, NEC will expand this program, primarily targeting overseas subsidiaries in the Asia-Pacific region and greater China, and also plans to expand the number of personnel targeted for the program to approximately 2,500 employees.

Redevelopment of Global Web-based Training Platform

NEC also redeveloped its “LearningDoor” Web-based training platform, which serves as a common human resource development platform for One NEC globally, and in June 2011, launched a new version for use by overseas subsidiaries in five key regions. Launch in Japan was scheduled for April 2012.
In March 2012, NEC began offering customer satisfaction training, a common requirement for all employees worldwide, using this global Web-based training platform.

Cultivation of Key Global Personnel

Developing new employees into key global personnel through the "Global Track to innovator (GTI) " program

Trainee stationed in Nairobi (far left) and
NEC local employees

Since fiscal 2009, NEC has offered its Global Track to Innovator (GTI) program, a training program designed to foster globally viable innovators by stationing new employees overseas for a period of one to two years. In fiscal 2012, NEC revised the process for selecting individuals for this program, and worked to improve communication between participants stationed overseas and its offices in Japan.
To date, NEC has sent a total of 60 employees to 26 countries, and plans to continue offering this program every year going forward.

Program overview
  • Selection of new employees with potential to become a key part of future global operations
  • Global business skills training conducted in Japan for about 20 days (all in English)
  • Participants transferred to overseas operational training for 1–2 years at overseas subsidiary or office from around one year after joining NEC (involving working alongside local overseas employees in the participant's area of expertise )
Comments by training program participants
  • The program expanded my horizons and gave me confidence. Before I was stationed overseas, I did not really understand NEC’s overseas operations. However, after actually going abroad, I was able to understand the situation on the ground for the first time. I also became familiar with English by using it overseas, so I now feel that I have room to breathe
  • The program made me think deeply about how to support overseas business sites. After returning to Japan, I was able to envision the background to questions from overseas sites. I can now propose supportive solutions without talking at length with overseas personnel.
  • I was impressed with differences in proper communication from country to country. One of my challenges will be to make the most of this experience in future.
  • Before I was stationed overseas, I could see only the overseas salespeople in charge of customer accounts. Having worked overseas, I now have a better understanding of details. For example, I now appreciate where requests to Japan are coming from, in terms of the circumstances faced by overseas customers, and what issues are faced by overseas personnel on the ground.

EI-ONE GRAND PRIX

NEC started the EI-ONE Grand Prix program ("EI" is from the Japanese word "eigo," meaning "English.") to encourage all employees to improve their English skills and develop a global mindset. It also aims to promote self-help and collaboration, and inject dynamism into internal communications. Approximately 2,500 NEC Group employees participated in fiscal 2012. Employees form their own teams and spend five months working to improve their English in study groups and through individual study. The program offers contests to compete for the most improved TOEIC score, seminar-based training, and other events in an effort to encourage greater self-motivated activities and regular practice. Other events, coordinated with the help of foreign nationals working at NEC, are designed to encourage global communications across divisions and provide opportunities for better understanding of foreign cultures. Participants win points based on team and individual study activities and on participation in the various seminars and events, and teams compete for total points won during the program, further encouraging participants to study.

Monitoring and Improvement

Various meetings are held within NEC to ensure that the needs of each business division are reflected in HR development programs. Programs are also evaluated and improved based on the needs of each job category.
In addition, in cooperation with NEC Learning, Ltd., an NEC Group company responsible for group-wide HR development, NEC seeks to evaluate and revise training courses periodically based on evaluations by course participants.

Objectives and Achievements

Objectives for the Medium Term (From Fiscal 2011 to Fiscal 2013) and Fiscal 2012, Achievements and Progress, and Degree of Completion

(Degree of completion: achieved/mostly achieved/some progress/no progress)

Medium-Term Objectives
  • Cultivate human resources who will execute the "C&C Cloud Strategy"
  • Cultivate human resources who will advance global businesses
  • Cultivate human resources across organizational boundaries
  • Enhance worksite capabilities by enhancing management skills
Fiscal 2012 Objective 1 Create HR development systems to help train candidates for NEC Group Key Positions
Achievements and Progress
  • Key positions were established, and NEC began identifying successors on a global basis.
  • The NEC Management Academy was revised, with a new program offered beginning in February 2011.
  • Organizational leadership training program planned and conducted (October 2011 through January 2012).
  • Program for early development of management personnel received high marks.
Degree of Completion Achieved
Fiscal 2012 Objective 2 Redevelop tier-specific training programs to reinforce management capabilities
Achievements and Progress
  • The 100 Day Plan training program for newly appointed business unit managers was implemented, supporting the appointment of approximately 40 new business unit managers, and received high marks.
  • Revisions were made to training for newly appointed general managers, including enhancements to input sessions and support structures, along with shortening the period for reforms (from one year to six months).
Degree of Completion Achieved
Fiscal 2012 Objective 3 Make Global Professionals more visible and train these people
Achievements and Progress
  • Established a common global human resources and skills framework. Began conducting skills assessment and management at certain overseas subsidiaries using a Web-based human resources management tool.
  • In preparation for expanding the scope of overseas subsidiaries to be targeted in fiscal 2013 and beyond, NEC is currently conducting joint reviews with subsidiaries in the Asia-Pacific region and greater China.
Degree of Completion Mostly achieved
Fiscal 2012 Objective 4 Implement global Web-based training systems
Achievements and Progress NEC reformulated its Learning Management System (LMS), a common worldwide training management system that serves as a global HR development platform for One NEC. The system was launched for use by overseas subsidiaries in five major regions in June 2011. (Launch in Japan scheduled for April 2012.)
Degree of Completion Achieved
Fiscal 2012 Objective 5 Support global business expansion by training and utilizing a diverse array of human resources
Achievements and Progress NEC Corporation increased the number of countries from which it will accept foreign trainees (to include Spain, India, and others).
Degree of
Completion
Achieved

Fiscal 2013 Objectives

Fiscal 2013 Objective 1 Build and develop an overall training system for developing management leaders focused on NEC Group Key Position candidates
Fiscal 2013 Objective 2 Redevelop tier-specific training designed to rapidly train management personnel
Fiscal 2013 Objective 3 Make global professionals more visible
Fiscal 2013 Objective 4 Upgrade and expand the development of the global Web-based training platform