Meeting on Vocational School Quality: 35th Session
Overview
At the 35th meeting on June 17, 2025, participants discussed draft amendments to cabinet and ministerial orders in light of revisions to the School Education Act, as well as the current state of specialized training colleges and topics for future consideration. The system changes covered credit systems for professional courses, specified professional courses, the titles of Professional and Advanced Professional, and advanced courses and eligible advanced courses. Topics for consideration included improving the quality of vocational education and the acceptance and management of international students. JICE reported survey findings on international student enrollment and post-graduation pathways. Committee members commented on Japanese language proficiency, learning outcomes, and education for international students, and the secretariat said it hoped to compile a report within the fiscal year.
Key points
- The draft amendments to cabinet and ministerial orders set out systems for credits in professional courses, specified professional courses, the titles of Professional and Advanced Professional, and advanced courses and eligible advanced courses.
- The secretariat identified two major topics for future consideration: the quality of vocational education across specialized training colleges, and the acceptance and management of international students.
- JICE reported survey findings on international students' enrollment status, admission routes, and post-graduation pathways.
Overview
At the 35th meeting on June 17, 2025, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology explained draft amendments to cabinet and ministerial orders following revisions to the School Education Act, and presented topics for consideration based on the circumstances of specialized training colleges.
The topics were improving the quality of vocational education in anticipation of declines in population and the working-age population, and ensuring the appropriate acceptance and management of international students in light of increases in foreign workers and international students.
Impact
Graduates of specified professional courses become eligible to transfer to a university and may use the title Professional. Eligible advanced courses that meet the requirements qualify for graduate school admission eligibility and study support.
It was explained that, ahead of the system changes taking effect, affected schools would need to complete procedures such as amending their school regulations.
Details
Professional courses will use a credit system like universities, with a completion certification standard of at least 31 credits multiplied by the program length. Specified professional courses require a program length of at least 2 years and at least 62 credits in total. The certification system for Professional courses will be abolished, and school regulations will state that graduates of specified professional courses may use the title. The Advanced Professional system will be reorganized so that graduates of professional courses and advanced courses designated as qualifying for graduate school admission may use the title.
Advanced courses may be established by notification. Eligible advanced courses must meet requirements covering the professional course and advanced course together, and provide a systematic curriculum. The three fields at launch are nursing, automotive mechanics, and anma massage and shiatsu, acupuncture, and moxibustion.
Among schools responding to the JICE survey, 612 schools enrolled international students (35.3%), and there were 51,743 international students, including 35,054 first-year students. After graduation, 29.5% pursued further education in Japan and 34.2% found employment in Japan. The meeting discussed admission standards, Japanese language proficiency, educational content, and learning outcomes.