From October 1, 2017, Primo Japan Co., Ltd. will accept one female employee from our subsidiary in Taiwan, Primo Diamond Taiwan Co., Ltd. through the support of the "Technical Intern Training Program" (TITP). This “Technical Intern Trainee” will undergo training based on our company’s one-year skills transfer course. This is the first instance in the sales and service sector for a Technical Intern Trainee’s status of residence to be certified through TITP.*
Japan International Training Cooperation Organization (JITCO), which is the primary sponsor of TITP, has specified as many as 75 occupations across a range of industries for which Technical Intern Trainees can apply for skills training. These industries include agriculture, fisheries, construction, food manufacturing, textiles & clothing, machinery & metals and other manufacturing industries. Although the sales and service sector is not included in JITCO’s list, Primo Japan’s corporate philosophy with regards to human resources is in line with the purpose of TITP, which is “to transfer Skills to Technical Intern Trainees who will form a basis of economic development in their respective countries and play an important role in Japan's international cooperation and contribution.”
Sharing the same ideal, Primo Japan has formulated our own technical skills training program focusing on three objectives: “management ability”, “quality control”, and “customer service skills”. "Technical Intern Training (i)(a)" (Individual Enterprise Type, valid for one year after entry) status of residence was granted to the employee on September 8, after a determination by the Tokyo Immigration Bureau that Primo Japan’s skills training program meets the requirements of TITP.
Primo Japan Inc. currently operates a total of 102 wedding jewelry specialty stores in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China, and our proportion of sales overseas exceeds 20%. The highly customized selection-and-order style of wedding jewelry that our company sells requires not only high quality products but also excellent customer service skills, such as inquiring carefully and thoroughly about the customer's wishes with the deep understanding that the customer will be wearing our product for a the rest of their lives. In order develop our business and expand further into various parts of Asia in the future, it is essential to take a long-term perspective on by offering a high level of support and nurturing human resources who can embody “Japanese standards of product management and hospitality techniques” and “global management capability.” Using our recent designation as a TITP Supervising Organization as an opportunity, Primo Japan Inc. will continue to nurture employees who are globally active through this program, with the aim of contributing in a small way to the development of the retail industry in areas where our company is expanding.
* Note: There is no precedent for this as far as we can determine; this is not an official statement of the Tokyo Immigration Bureau.
【Reference Information】
1) About the Employee Coming to Japan
The “Technical Intern Trainee” is a woman in her twenties who joined our Taiwanese subsidiary, Primo Diamond Taiwan Co., Ltd., in 2013 working in the Zhongxiao flagship store in Taipei City. She has the top-ranking sales results among all our salespeople at our eleven Taiwan store locations, and has been selected for her potential for leadership both in store management and in activities throughout the whole of the Chinese-speaking areas, including the Chinese mainland, which have been growing remarkably.
2) About the Content of Technical Training after Coming to Japan
The “Technical Intern Trainee” will join the Human Resources Development Department at Primo Japan headquarters. Working on a standard five-day weekly work schedule, the “Technical Intern Trainee” will spend her first few months in Japan concentrating on learning Japanese in the mornings and broadening her knowledge base by observing the operations of the Human Resources Development relating to recruitment and training activities, and attending global meetings in the afternoons. At the same time, the “Technical Intern Trainee” will also engage in actual on-the-job training at I-PRIMO Ginza flagship Store and our Product Coordination Department, with the aim of acquiring skills in “global management”, “quality control”, and “customer service skills" in a balanced way according to our training program.
3) About the Technical Intern Trainee’s Life in Japan
The “Technical Intern Trainee” will be living in our “PRIMO HOUSE with two Japanese employees. “PRIMO HOUSE” is our proprietary relocation program, where employees who normally work outside the Tokyo metropolitan area who are transferred to the I-PRIMO Ginza flagship store for a limited time period live. Through this experience of living together, we aim to develop these employees’ business skills and also to revitalize the whole organization by bringing the knowledge and experience gained during their year at “PRIMO HOUSE” back to their home stores. For the employee coming to Japan from Taiwan, we hope that she will become familiar with Japanese lifestyles and customs through the program, and, at the same time, we hope our Japanese staff will also be enriched by the experience so that they can lead in a diverse company environment.