DTU and the Seirei Social Welfare Community from Japan signed an agreement on June 5th in Danang.
The Chairman of the Seirei Social Welfare Community, Mr. Yamamoto Toshihiro, on the right, and Distinguished Teacher Le Cong Co, DTU President and Provost, agreed to collaborate on research, a Japanese language teacher exchange program, joint training, and student exchanges. Other programs will be developed at the appropriate time, according to need.
Mr. Toshihiro said: “The life expectancy of Japanese people has averaged 75 for several years now. Our elderly population is increasing rapidly and Japan has always had very strict policies for their care. When this is properly addressed, the elderly are no longer a burden on society. With this agreement, as the leading Japanese organization in nursing, health care, and social welfare, we very much want to work with DTU to train highly qualified candidates to come to Japan to work. With a Certificate provided by Seirei Social Welfare Community, nurses can work in Japan and then return to Vietnam, or go to other countries around the world. Meanwhile, they will gain much experience to look after relatives and the elderly back home. We are proud to be a country with many elderly people and must respect and care for them, because they are our national treasure.”
Distinguished Teacher Le Cong Co said: “Japan is not rich in resources, but has still become a world power because of its strong will and determination, which we call the ‘Japanese spirit’. It is a mature and humanitarian culture, because of their respect for the elderly, who are both practical and experienced and give much useful advice to younger generations.”
The Seirei Social Welfare Community was officially founded in 1930 by a group of young people who wanted to help tuberculosis patients, and went on to become the biggest social welfare organization in Japan, with 145 divisions in Tokyo and eight other cities and provinces. Their headquarters are located in Hamamatsu, in Shizuoka prefecture, near the center of Japan’s main island. It takes only 90 minutes from Tokyo or Osaka to Hamamatsu by high speed trains Shinkansen (Bullet trains). With about 9,000 full-time employees, Seirei provides high-quality services in four areas: health, nursing, welfare and care. In 2015 their total income was about 105 billion yen.
The important advantage of working with Seirei is that the Community is able to provide an environment that promotes professional development in Nursing and elderly care to employees from many different countries.
In November 2016, DTU representatives had a chance encounter with Seirei and were invited to their head office. Just one month later, in December, a team from Seirei visited DTU and met and exchanged ideas with the Board and with lecturers and students of Nursing.
(Media Center)