Development of the Next Generation
Providing Learning Opportunities Leveraging Our Strengths as a Pharmaceutical Company
As part of our social contribution activities, Sumitomo Pharma supports the development of the next generation in unique ways that utilize our experience in creating pharmaceuticals.
Career education
Sponsored "Oshigoto Nenkan", career education book for elementary and junior high school students
We have co-sponsored "Oshigoto Nenkan" published by Asahi Shimbun since 2021. Oshigoto Nenkan is a career education supplement for elementary and junior high school students, and is provided free of charge to about 30,000 national, public, and private elementary schools, junior high schools, and boards of education nationwide.
We provide clear explanations of iPS cells and their utilization in medicine for a section titled "science and technology work to create the future."
The Oshigoto Nenkan is available online (in Japanese only).
⇒https://oshihaku.jp/nenkan/page/14376958
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Oshigoto Nenkan 2023
"Career Challenge Day On-line Meets": On-line career education in place of workplace experience lessons for junior high school students
Since 2020, Sumitomo Pharma has participated in the on-line career education program "Career Challenge Day On-line Meets" provided by CAREERLINK Co., Ltd. for students nationwide who have been unable to have workplace experience due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each on-line lesson on career education links 3 junior high schools in different regions with companies. A major feature is that half of the lesson consists of a talk by instructors and in the other half, students interview them, allowing a 2-way exchange.
Our lessons have Sumitomo Pharma young researchers as lectures who explain the company’s SDGs initiatives and their own work in the area of drug discovery research. In the interviews by students, in addition to questions about their careers, instructors also receive unexpected pointed questions such as about future issues in the pharmaceutical industry as a whole, allowing them to reflect on their own work and gain new insights.
Going forward, Sumitomo Pharma will continue to engage in activities that increase interest in science and medicine among children who will shoulder the society of the future, with the aim of fostering a next generation who will work together to create a healthy and prosperous society for people.
Students choose company with type of work they are interested in
Students interviewing lecturer
See here for further details of "Career Challenge Day On-line Meets" organized by CAREERLINK Co., Ltd. (in Japanese only)
⇒https://www.ccd-online.jp
Lessons involving comprehensive inquiry into life and ethics
Since 2012, Sumitomo Pharma has been providing on-site lessons at junior and senior high schools with employees as instructors. To date, they have been given at more than 150 junior and senior high schools for over 13,000 students. Since 2020, they have been conducted according to our own program at senior high schools to have students think for themselves about issues that lie ahead in advances made in science and technology in the areas of genome analysis and heredity. The program aims to cultivate students’ ability to address difficult questions about life and ethics - for which there are no correct answers - by encouraging them to develop their own views and reach their own conclusions, while accepting the different opinions of others (diversity). It can be implemented not only for biology lessons but also for integrated studies and lessons on society (contemporary society) and has received high praise from teachers at schools where it has been provided.
We believe that this type of initiative not only stimulates the interest of students in science and raises the quality of education in local communities but also increases trust in our company.
Click here (Activity Reports）for information on the lessons
To find out more about the on-site lessons, please click on the following (in Japanese only):
⇒https://www.career-program.ne.jp/action3/program/010.html
Comment from the Person in Charge
Achieving Sumitomo Pharma’s goal of "wellbeing for all people" requires not only highly-developed medical care, mainly through pharmaceuticals, but also a society that is compassionate toward those with illnesses and disabilities. We believe that compassion in society will be nurtured by having a correct understanding of health and life, thinking deeply about this, feeling it as one’s own matter and respecting others. Also, along with the practical application of regenerative medicine and advances made in other medical technologies, the importance of bioethics in education will increase. Through this program, we hope that students will think about issues that lie ahead as advances are made in science and technologies and be accepting of diverse opinions of others (diversity), thereby enhancing students’ understanding of themselves as well as others and cultivating a spirit of compassion.
Satomi Numata
CSR Group, Corporate Communications
(The divisions that the person featured in this article belonged to and the names of those divisions are current as of the time of the interview.)
Education on medicines
Informing through the SUKOYAKA Compass Website
Since fiscal 2012, Sumitomo Pharma has published SUKOYAKA Compass as a part of its website aimed at children who will be forging the future and their families.
Through SUKOYAKA Compass, there is substantial content concerning medicine, from a description of research and development of the cutting-edge medicines using iPS cells to the specific work of pharmaceutical companies, how to use medicines, how to independent research on medicines, and, as the latest topic, an explanation of vaccines for the COVID-19 virus.
To make it more approachable for children, a navigator, "Scoppi," who explains things and answers questions about medicines.
We hope that SUKOYAKA Compass will help children develop an interest in medicines and learn the importance of understanding and using medicines correctly.
Scoppi, the SUKOYAKA Compass navigator
Main content of SUKOYAKA Compass (in Japanese only)
| Title | Content |
|---|---|
| Monthly Karada Column | Topics related to the body and health that are relevant to the daily lives of junior high and high school students |
| Mirai Tsukuro! SDGs Club | Outline of relationships between health and the SDGs and SDG-related initiatives by junior high and high school students as well as our company |
| Kusuri no Komatta Kaiketsucho | Useful tips for choosing over-the-counter medicines at pharmacies and drugstores and for taking medicine |
| Kusuri no Shigoto Zukan | Overview of work at a pharmaceutical company, the work of a pharmacist, and other work related to medicine |
| Kusuri no Jiyu Kenkyu Guide | A guide to methods of independent research on medicines and ways of organizing research |
| Kusuri no Chosen | Introduction to cutting-edge research at Sumitomo Pharma |
| Kusuri no Iroha | Information about medicine-related topics that are familiar yet surprisingly unknown, such as the role of medicine, its mechanisms of action, processes for producing medicines, and explanations of vaccines |
| Okusuri Q&A | Explanation of topics like how to use medicines in a Q&A format |
| SUKOYAKA Activity Report | Outline of our social contribution activities |
Click here (Activity Reports) for information on educational activities for the next generation in Japan and other countries