Good Career Company Award Promotes Self-Directed Careers

This website communicates self-directed career development to companies and workers through the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Good Career Company Award.

The award program is carried out to raise awareness of the importance of career-development support across society and establish it more widely.

For companies, it provides an opportunity to share initiatives that develop personnel and support career development; for workers, it offers access to concrete examples for considering self-directed careers.

By also publishing program guidance and expert columns, it connects users with information supporting corporate human-resource development as well as individual learning and consultation.

The website announces the start of the 2026 application period and registration for online briefing sessions for applicant companies, and publishes award-winning companies' initiatives, introductory videos, and event reports on award ceremonies and seminars.

In fiscal 2024, it introduces 15 companies across a broad range of industries, including construction, wholesale, insurance, telecommunications, information services, welfare and nursing care, manufacturing, professional services, and entertainment. It also features career-path examples from COCO-LO Co., Ltd., YIC Gakuin Educational Corporation, SoftBank Corp., and Kawarashiro Jidosha Denki Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Related programs include training career consultants and improving consultation environments; the Education and Training Benefit Program, which reimburses part of the costs for those completing designated education and training; and the Human Resources Development Support Subsidy, which subsidizes part of the costs of job-related training and wages during training periods.