Since September, Grade 9 students at our school have been participating in the “Corporate Access” program provided by Eduq Co., Ltd. as part of their inquiry-based learning during Integrated Studies classes.

Corporate Access is a program that allows students to experience an internship-like environment in the classroom while learning about the significance of work and economic activities. By receiving missions directly from real companies and engaging in discussion and problem-solving, students were able to tackle authentic corporate challenges, which differ from the inquiry activities they experienced in Grades 7 and 8. Knowing that their ideas could potentially be adopted in real life, students approached the program with great excitement and motivation.

In December, each class held its own internal presentation session. As a culmination of these activities, representatives from each class took part in the final presentation event, the “Rits Uji Cup”, which was held during LHR on Wednesday, January 14. On the day of the event, four judges from Eduq Co., Ltd. attended and evaluated the presentations.

As a result of the judging, Class 4’s team “New Idea” was awarded the Grand Prize. The team worked on a mission provided by Aeon Retail Co., Ltd. and proposed an idea in which children help elderly members of the local community with their shopping. The proposal was highly practical and could be implemented immediately, offering a heartfelt vision that would foster warm connections within the community.

Presentations by representatives from the other classes were also impressive, featuring careful brainstorming, thorough research and analysis, and creative presentation techniques. Through these inquiry-based learning activities, students deepened their understanding by connecting with society and experienced significant personal growth.