JJ/WBGSP Short-Term Training Course in Japan

The JJ/WBGSP (Scaling-Up Program) is delighted to announce a Short-Term Training Course for Program alumni in Japan. The course will take place in Tokyo and in Kyoto, October 20-25, 2008.

The course aims to provide participants with a thorough exposure to Japan’s development experience as well as its recent economic and industrial policy issues . This course is organized by the World Bank Institute (WBI) in cooperation with Ritsumeikan University. 

Attention! The deadline to receive applications is August 25 , 2008

Objective

JJ/WBGSP seeks for the ways in which JJ/WBGSP scholars who studied outside Japan, become more familiar with Japan and its development experiences. Japan’s reconstruction after World War II, its rapid growth, and successful recovery from the energy and yen crises, all of which relied heavily on human resources, were seen as exceptional accomplishments and could thus provide crucial lessons for developing countries.

Course Description

The course will include discussions, company visits, and lectures by prominent professionals representing the government of Japan, the World Bank, academic institutions. For the Fall 2008, the course will include:

• Discussion on official development assistance (ODA) and development strategies with Japanese government officials (Ministry of Finance, JICA) and WB Tokyo Office.
• Lecture and discussion with the scholars of the partnership universities on Japanese business models (corporate management, entrepreneurship, research and development (R&D), etc.) and lessons from Japan’s post-war development policies.
• Visits to corporate executives of Japanese companies (Kyocera, Nintendo,etc.)

Participant Commitments

Participants will commit to

• submit a report upon completion of the training course, evaluating what they have learned during the training course in reference to the needs of their home countries, and how to apply the newly gained knowledge to their work, and
• participate in the alumni activities in their home country if there is already an association established, OR will contribute to establish one

Cost

For the selected JJ/WBGSP participants, all the expenses including international and domestic transportation and accommodation will be covered by WBI. Participants will also receive dairy subsistence to cover meals and any other petty expenses that incur during their stay in Japan.

Application Procedure

The course will take place in Tokyo and in Kyoto , October 20-25, 2008. The course is exclusively designed for the JJ/WBGSP alumni who studied outside Japan and have returned to their home countries after their completion of JJ/WBGSP.

To be eligible for the course, an applicant must:

• Have completed their degree under the JJ/WBGSP in 2006 or 2007, and returned to and currently resides in his/her home country.
• Have not studied, worked, or taken short term training in Japan (therefore those graduated from universities in Japan are not eligible.)
• Be proficient in English. Those who did not study in English are requested to submit a copy of their TOEFL score . (Preferably 260 or higher on the computer- based exam; 620 or higher on the paper-based test; 105 or higher on the internet-based test.)

Alumni of the following schools CANNOT apply, as these universities have recommended some alumni:

• Columbia University
• Williams College
• Brandeis University
• AIT
• Reading
• ISS
• Harvard
• CERDI
• University of Ghana
• UNESCO IHE
• University of Cocody
• University of Yaoundé II
• Makerere University  

Applicant should submit:

Applications in PDF format on this site require Acrobat Reader to be viewed. You can download the free Acrobat Reader here.

• a completed application form which can be downloaded from JJ/WBGSP website as
  pdf. (55 KB) or doc.(112 KB) files
• an essay in no more than 2,000 words in English, answering the following question:
  • How do you think Japan’s experience and their lessons learned will be beneficial to (i) your country, and (ii) what you do at work?
• a scanned copy of TOEFL score for those who did not study in English

Any change of the original formatting of the application is not acceptable and the application will not be processed. Only applications sent by fax or e-mail will be processed.

All the required documents must be received no later than August 25, 2008, electronically at spscalingup@worldbank.org or by fax: +1-202-522-4036.

The selection will consider

• applicants’ academic and professional background and
• the essay they submit  

Only selected applicants will be informed by early September. Applicants who are not selected will receive no response to their entry.

Information

For any information regarding the contents and administrative arrangements of this course, please send the inquiries by email at spscalingup@worldbank.org

• The course implementation will be administered by Ritsumeikan University, including visa, accommodation, and other travel related matters (* International travel will be arranged by WBI.)

If there are any questions, please address them before August 15, 2008

Contact

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