University hosts Japanese delegation

A Japanese delegation has arrived at the University of Teesside to gain an insight into encouraging local people to become more business-orientated.

Academics from the Graduate School of Tohoku University of Community Service and Science in Yamagata are visiting the University’s Social Futures Institute this week.

Leading the delegation is Professor Tomoaki Shibukawa, who is accompanied by Tomohito Nakajima, Tokihiko Takatani and Takahiro Aoki.

Their visit will include:

• a tour of the University’s campus, including the Graduate Business Incubation units, which have helped to launch 80 companies and create 150 jobs for graduates since 2000
• a presentation on the economic characteristics of the region
• a civic reception with the Mayor of Darlington
• a tour around the Tees Valley’s industrial communities
• a seminar on the role of social enterprise in areas of significant industrial restructuring
• a reception with Professor Cliff Allan, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University.

As part of their tour, the delegation will also take a look at the University’s brand new Institute for Digital Innovation, which is due to open in September.

Professor Shibukawa said: “We are very glad to know that our members can visit various social enterprises in Tees Valley and have discussions with local and regional government officers. The programme is perfect for our purposes to achieve good results for Yamagata in Japan, which has many characteristics similar to Tees Valley.”

Dr Tony Chapman, Director of the University’s Social Futures Institute, said: “Social enterprises can and do create positive role models, especially in our more deprived communities. They help to show people that they have the ability and aspiration to set up businesses which support their own communities.

“The Government hopes that social enterprises, examples of which include The Big Issue and the Eden Project, can help to encourage people to become more business-orientated in North-East England. During this visit, we will be asking a lot of questions. For example, can the Tees Valley benefit from enterprise schemes which are designed to encourage people who are out of work to start their own businesses? Will social enterprise help to fill the gaps in the provision of highly skilled jobs and new routes into employment? And do social enterprises add value to society in other ways because of their non-profit approach to business?"

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