▌NTU Beyond Borders：前往神話中日本列島的第一個島嶼 - 淡路島，發掘文化資產與學習地方創生策略
2025年1月臺大國際處與引水人計畫夥伴－ 保聖那管理顧問台灣分公司 Pasona Taiwan 合作，共同舉辦「2025淡路島地方創生見習團」，帶領學生前往淡路島，除了造訪這座具有深厚歷史與文化的小島外，學生親自考察並了解保聖那集團如何運用地方創生策略 來振興淡路島。
本次見習團與大阪大學及神戶大學裡來自日本、加拿大、德國、瑞士等國的學生共同交流，圍繞地方創生的議題進行小組討論，分享各地針對地方創生與永續發展議題的作法，神戶大學法學院教授 Michela Riminucci 也藉此分享城鄉發展的挑戰與規劃。學生們還參與了 Pasona Challenge Farm 的農食體驗，親自採集洋蔥、馬鈴薯、番茄等食材，並共同運用這些食材製作午餐。
PASONA除了向學生們闡述「活用人才、解決社會問題」的企業理念外，更邀請淡路未來構想本部的大出隆顧問分享日本職場文化，指導學生們學習道地商業禮儀。此外，學生們也與負責大阪關西世博計畫的夥伴交流，深入了解展館主題「感謝生命」的發想過程，以及如何將此理念融入展館內外的設計中。
為讓學生們了解在AI快速發展的時代下，企業如何結合科技與人力，PASONA也安排學生們與Avatar Team觀摩學習，並參與課程，了解如何在工作中運用創意，保留人類的價值，而非被科技所取代。透過與烏克蘭難民芭蕾舞者的對話交流，學生們進一步學習PASONA招攬國際人才及創造就業機會的策略。
淡路島作為歷史悠久的小島，學生們也在期間造訪島上多個重要景點，包含由世界上最受讚譽的建築師之一安藤忠雄設計的淡路夢舞台、日本最古老的神社伊弉諾神宮、保存著阪神大地震斷層帶的北淡震災紀念公園、深藏在蓮花池底下的本福寺水御堂。因淡路島擁有良好的氣候與土壤，是線香的理想生產地，學生也前往線香工廠親手製作造型線香。
10天充實的見習團裡，學生們不僅與海外大學的學生交流，也向PASONA中高階主管學習，了解如何運用創新思維，將淡路島從一個人口外移、老化嚴重的地區，轉型為充滿活力與希望的「再生之島」。透過實地考察、交流討論、文化體驗等多元活動，學生們不僅學習到專業知識，更培養了獨立思考、團隊合作、跨文化溝通等重要能力。
▌NTU Beyond Borders: Exploring Awaji Island – the First Island in the Japanese Archipelago in Mythology, Discovering Cultural Heritage and Learning Regional Revitalization Strategies
In January 2025, NTU OIA collaborated with PASONA, a partner of the Overseas Internship Program, to organize the "2025 Awaji: Revitalizing a Timeless Island Traineeship" The traineeship took students to Awaji Island, where they not only visited the culturally and historically rich island but also conducted field studies to understand how the Pasona Group uses regional revitalization strategies to breathe new life into the island.
This traineeship program involved students from Japan, Canada, Germany, Switzerland, and other countries in Osaka University and Kobe University. Together, they participated in group discussions centered on regional revitalization, sharing approaches to sustainable development and regional revitalization from different regions. Professor Michela Riminucci from Kobe University’s Faculty of Law also shared insights into the challenges and planning of urban-rural development. Students also took part in a hands-on agricultural and food experience at Pasona Challenge Farm, where they personally harvested onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and other produce and then used these ingredients to prepare lunch together.
In addition to explaining their corporate philosophy of "utilizing talent to solve social problems," PASONA invited Takashi Ohde, a consultant from the Awaji Future Design Headquarters, to introduce Japanese workplace culture and guide students in learning authentic business etiquette. Students also engaged with partners responsible for the Osaka Kansai Expo, gaining a deeper understanding of the theme "Thanking Life" and how this concept was integrated into the design of both the interior and exterior of the pavilions.
To help students understand how businesses combine technology and human talent in the age of rapid AI development, PASONA arranged for students to observe and learn from the Avatar Team. Students participated in courses to explore how creativity in the workplace can preserve human value rather than being replaced by technology. Through conversations with Ukrainian ballet dancers who are refugees, students further learned about PASONA's strategies for recruiting international talent and creating job opportunities.
As a historically significant island, students also visited several important landmarks on Awaji Island, including the Awaji Yumebutai, designed by one of the world’s most renowned architects, Tadao Ando, the Izanagi Shrine, Japan’s oldest shrine, the North Awaji Earthquake Memorial Park, which preserves the fault lines of the 1995 Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, and the Honbukuji Suimido, hidden beneath a lotus pond. Due to Awaji Island’s favorable climate and soil, it is an ideal place for incense production, and students visited an incense factory to make their own shaped incense.
During the 10-day immersive traineeship, students not only exchanged ideas with overseas university students but also learned from PASONA's mid- and senior-level executives about how to use innovative thinking to transform Awaji Island, once a region with severe population decline and aging, into a vibrant and hopeful "Island of Regeneration." Through field visits, discussions, and cultural experiences, students gained professional knowledge while developing important skills such as independent thinking, teamwork, and cross-cultural communication.
