AUTOBACS SEVEN CO., LTD. (AUTOBACS SEVEN) has officially signed a Pledge of Commitment (POC) with University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UNIVERSITY OF PERPETUAL HELP RIZAL Inc., hereinafter referred to as UPH) of the Philippines on 14th November 2023, regarding a project to promote the development of auto mechanics in the Philippines and their career development in Japan.

The AUTOBACS Group began accepting foreign technical trainees in 2006 through a partnership with UPH and a sending organization called Perpetual Help Placement Services International Inc. and has so far produced 526 foreign technical trainees (as of the end of October 2023). In addition, the Specified Skilled Worker System has been in place since 2019 as a residence qualification, and as of the end of October 2023, 103 "Specified Skilled Worker (i) (*1)" qualified individuals are working at AUTOBACS Group stores.

With the conclusion of the POC, AUTOBACS SEVEN will donate funds to improve the educational environment, including the construction of a new training facility for Philippine students to learn automobile maintenance. In addition, together with UPH, AUTOBACS SEVEN will develop and operate a new educational course to support career development in the field of automobile maintenance and enhance support for students to obtain Japanese mechanic license.

This project will be managed by Chain Growth Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of AUTOBACS SEVEN that provides human resource support services. Utilizing the know-how cultivated to date in the development of professional human resources in the field of automobile maintenance, the company will operate and manage a series of projects, including the planning and operation of training programs at UPH, education and dispatch of lecturers, post-entry and work support in Japan, and training in Japan.

In the new educational course, after one year of training at UPH, trainees will be required to take the "Automobile Repair and Maintenance Field Specified Skills Evaluation Test" and "Japanese- Language Proficiency Test N4" to obtain the "Specified Skilled Worker (i)", which will be their status of residence in Japan. This educational course is scheduled to open in the fall of 2024.

After acquiring the qualification, the trainees will go to Japan to work at a company related to automobile maintenance and take training courses on Japanese language and automobile maintenance to acquire the Class 3 Automobile Mechanic License. In the future, they can also aim to become a Class 2 Automobile Mechanic License or Automobile Inspector with an indefinite period of stay by passing the evaluation test for "Specified Skilled Worker (ii)(*2)".

To solve the issue of the shortage of human resources in the auto maintenance industry in Japan, we plan to actively expand the number of host companies for foreign workers not only to AUTOBACS Group stores, but also to other companies related to automobile maintenance. By developing, acquiring, and increasing the number of highly skilled human resources overseas, we hope to contribute to the development of the Japanese automobile maintenance industry, as well as to support the careers of international human resources.

(*1) Specified Skilled Worker (i): Resident status for foreigners who are engaged in skilled work that requires a considerable degree of knowledge or experience in specific industrial fields.
(*2) Specified Skilled Worker (ii): Status of residence for foreign nationals engaged in work requiring skilled skills in specific industrial fields.
 

[University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPH)]

UPH website: https://perpetualdalta.edu.ph/

Based on our Purpose, "promoting traffic safety in society and enriching customers' lives " we will continue to work for the safety and security of our customers and to improve convenience through our various businesses, while taking on the challenge of resolving environmental and social issues.