Date: June 5, 2022
Location: Tokyo
Program:

　　　Cartier, one of the corporate supporters of Mirai no Mori this year, has hosted a workplace visit program for high school students. We first visited their boutique in Ginza, and they gave us a presentation on store overview and their products. Then we had the opportunity to hear directly from the store staff about their backgrounds, career paths, and motivations for working at the store, and answered questions from the students. The same staff also gave us a tour of the store, and the students even had an opportunity to try on a watch. They all looked very nervous as they stared at the beautiful and luxurious watch on their wrists.

　　　After the store tour, we visited their corporate office to learn more about the industry and the company itself. While the industry seemed unrelated to students’ everyday lives, there were some common grounds and we all learned about the industry from different perspectives. In the last activity, students were separated into smaller groups to have personal conversations with the company’s employees. The students were engaged in talking to them about their backgrounds and career paths as well as interests and hobbies, and we heard laughter throughout the session. Talking to such a wide variety of adults gave students a broader perspective about their future with new potential options for their paths.

“I knew it was important to look decent when you’re in front of customers. But, the store staff told me that you need to put the customer and product first and be careful not to out-shine them. I plan to work in a similar industry, so I will keep that in mind.”

“One of the employees from a foreign country told us that it took many years to master Japanese and be able to talk to customers properly. In the future, I would like to be able to talk to people from different parts of the world, so I will work on my language skill, starting with English.”

“I found out that most people had no idea where they wanted to work when they were in high school or university. And I realized that I don’t need to rush to decide on my career now. I can focus on what I like and see where it leads.

　　　The students had not just a simple store visit but a chance to engage with a wide variety of adults and learn new perspectives and possibilities. Thank you very much for providing such a unique and extraordinary experience for the students.