Sustainability
Human Resource Development
Basic Approach
We have positioned “Quality of People: Embrace challenges and teamwork” as the top value in Our Values and “Enriching human life by adding new value to society” as our Mission in the NGK Group Philosophy. In addition to providing educational programs, we also work with superiors and create a workplace environment where each employee can take the initiative in their own growth. The goal of this is to enable employees to contribute to the business in the environment in which they work.
Skills Development for Employees
NGK undertakes systematic human resource development for employees, which encompasses every job category from employment to every promotion milestone in their career. Some of this is conducted along with our Group companies in Japan.
In our policy, we have set the goal of cultivating people with the following kinds of abilities and mindsets in order to implement the five transformations described in our Group Vision. To this end, relevant departments are working in cooperation to strengthen this initiative.
- Cultivate advanced knowledges, skills, abilities or their combination, and proactively approach to problems
- Demonstrate teamwork and persistently lead to results
- Autonomously grow and continuously change oneself and the company
FY2023 Company-Wide Education Scheme
FY2023 Company-Wide Education Scheme (PDF: 106KB)
Key Personnel Competencies
In order to improve the managerial skills of key personnel and, thereby, contribute to greater organizational vitality, we have defined the “key personnel competencies (behavioral traits)” that are expected of key personnel in NGK.
As the diversity of our human resources continues to increase, we want to put in place a structure that promotes a shared awareness across our company to enable key personnel to effectively contribute to business performance.
We have established key personnel competencies for the sake of achieving the following aims.
- Ensure key personnel have a correct understanding of their expected roles so that their performance meets the expected contributions of those roles to company development.
- Ensure key personnel candidates have a clear vision for themselves, and promote their growth towards recruitment as key personnel.
Training Programs by Objective
Values
NGK training and education seeks to foster an understanding of the NGK Group Philosophy and Corporate Business Principles such that employees will not simply work for the sake of meeting their individual targets, but rather will think about the significance of the work they perform and the basis for their decision-making, leading to a sense of pride and shared identity as an NGK employee. It is not enough for employees to know what the NGK Group Philosophy and Corporate Business Principles are; we want employees to incorporate them into their behavior.
This approach is particularly evident in the corporate history training program that was launched full-scale at our head office in 2017 for every level of employee, from new hires to those promoted to managers. It is also incorporated into the educational programs of Group companies outside Japan in order to reach a variety of personnel. We will continue to develop and expand such programs.
Business Skills
We carry out training designed to equip employees with the mindset, knowledge, and skills they need to carry out their jobs. To ensure that the skills employees acquire are applicable and directly contribute to the work that they perform—i.e., practical skills instead of just knowledge—we provide coaching in cooperation with the participants’ supervisors and training programs for handling challenges directly relevant to their own departments.
Career Support
In order to ensure that as many personnel as possible are able to actively participate in and contribute to the functioning of NGK, we provide employees with career development support in the form of a variety of effective HR initiatives based on our policy of "supporting the autonomous endeavors and career development of each individual employee as we strive to be a better company." This support is focused on cultivating personnel capable of thinking outside the limits of predetermined career models to chart their own career path.
Initiatives such as career design training programs targeting employees in their 40s and 50s, and seminars held at when employees are promoted serve as opportunities for employees to deepen their understanding of their own values and characteristics, and with an awareness of their role, think about who they want to be and how they can challenge themselves in their work to grow to become that person.
To this end, we are continuing to focus on ensuring that every employee is able to work to their full potential within the context of the many and varied environments that comprise the NGK Group.
Initiatives for Employees to Chart Their Own Career Path
Compliance Requirements in Job Performance
We provide employees with training that communicates to them the responsibilities, which NGK bears as a corporate citizen, as well as what this requires of them as employees of NGK. This training seeks to instill a strong sense of ethics and a commitment to doing what is right.
The fundamentals of NGK business—safety, quality, environment, and CSR—are inculcated from the time an employee joins the company to every time they receive a promotion so that knowledge ends up being reliably translated into action.
Manufacturing Training
We pursue training aimed at conveying the central importance of safety, the environment, quality, timely delivery, and cost in manufacturing while passing on the traditions and spirit of NGK manufacturing. This training also aims to grow employees into individuals who can support the creation of new value.
Towards this end, we provide training in unique technologies that will deepen employees’ understanding of NGK products and technologies, as well as provide training in administrative and improvement techniques that will equip employees with the mindset and means to improve their workplaces.
Manufacturing basic training is centered on practical training tied to the actual manufacturing process. It involves teaching participants about ceramic technologies and manufacturing in general at NGK so that they will have a broad perspective, which they can apply in their work.
Worksite capability enhancement training cultivates human resources capable of making managerial contributions as manufacturing worksite leaders who independently pursue worksite capability improvements together with others both in and outside of their plant’s organizational framework.
Developing Digitally Proficient Human Resources
Based on the NGK Group Digital Vision, we will educate all employees, from management to general employees, in digital transformation (DX), and will develop human resources who are skilled in the use of data (1,000 people by 2030) and human resources to bridge the gap to DX. We provide training by grade level, according to experience and the role served. In the business units, training is segmented into levels such as “Leaders” to drive the pursuit of DX, “Supporters” who assist the leaders, and “Beginners” who learn how to view and process data.
Examples of development measures
- In the “Leaders” development program, employees leave the department they are affiliated with and participate in an internal internship in a specialist division for one year to concentrate on learning data analysis and digital technology.
- New employees learn IT (information technology) skills through e-learning during the first year after they join the company.
Innovation Training
The aim of innovation training is to backcast from the SDGs and social challenges in an environment that is changing drastically, to discover what points to consider with new businesses and the creative thinking that spawns innovation.
In the program for young employees with leadership potential, participants learn methods for working with employees from other companies who have different experiences and value, and overcome these barriers to create and achieve goals together.
It also aims to foster flexible thinking skills and outside-the-box thinking that avoids being trapped by existing ways of thought. Through workshops, participants learn methods and ideas that serve to broaden their minds.
We are also constructing a proposal system to ensure that themes which arise during innovation training can actually be developed into new businesses.
Company History Training
This training program looks at the history of NGK in order to reexamine the origins of the corporate activities built up by our predecessors, to reinforce our shared values, and then to prompt participants to think about how this impacts the way they go about their jobs.
The program for Group S (section chiefs) uses videos to encourage participants to deeply consider what makes up the essence of NGK, with a focus on themes such as quality and globalization.
English language videos are being developed, and programs geared towards Group companies outside Japan are being introduced.
Global Training for New Employees
Since FY2011, we have been providing global training courses for all new regular-position employees with the goal of rapidly cultivating globally capable human resources.
These courses first train participants in developing global mindset and intercultural understanding, which aim to help them form a concrete image of what it means to work globally and help them acquire the communication methods and intercultural understanding necessary in global setting. Then, we conduct English language training which, in addition to English ability, helps participants cultivate global standard business skills like giving presentations in classes whose composition facilitates effective learning at each level.
Time spent learning English per new career-track hire (FY2022 results)
New employees with advanced English skills spent 24 hours per year and did not take English language courses
Practical Overseas Training / Global Training
NGK conducts practical training over a period of six months at Group companies outside Japan with the aim of developing globally competent personnel. The training focuses on developing practical business and communication skills in a cross-cultural environment targeting young employees who are future candidates for overseas postings. (This training was suspended during FY2022 due to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.)
In addition, we also conduct a wide variety of global training aimed at employees engaged in overseas work, including future candidates for overseas postings. This training covers themes such as language acquisition training, studies on individual areas, and acquisition of global standard communication and management skills based on intercultural understandings.
FY2022 Training Outcomes
Training Participant Summary (total number of people)
Average Annual Hours Spent for Training per Full-Time Employee
Average Annual Cost of Training per Full-Time Employee