The Japanese-developed keiei-juku training initiative is a specialised management skill development programme for the top management of enterprises.

The opening ceremony was attended by the Vice President of the National University of Laos, Associate Prof. Dr Somchanh Bounphanmy, and JICA Laos Office Chief Representative, Mr Yoshiharu Yoneyama, along with LJI managers.

The third batch of people taking part in the programme consists of 18 executives working at growing enterprises in Vientiane.

The six-month long programme includes five crucial business management subjects: business administration strategy, financial management strategy, marketing strategy and business development planning and strategic human resource management, and an achievement briefing workshop.

Each subject will be taught for one month with participants required to attend lectures and workshops for one week.

During the rest of the month, participants will work on assignments that apply the lessons learnt in class to their actual business analysis and planning.

In this way, after completing the programme, participants will have done a thorough analysis and developed a comprehensive improvement plan for their companies.

After the course the trainees will make a two-week field trip to Japan to see how the system is successfully implemented there.

The programme will provide numerous opportunities for participants to deepen their understanding of Japanese-style management through interaction with the instructors and other participants, Associate Prof. Dr Somchanh said.

Understanding of Japanese-style management will be even further deepened when participants apply the knowledge gained through lectures to actual practice at their workplace. Knowledge will not be of any value nor can it grow without putting it to practical use, she said.

Throughout the six-month course at the LJI and the study tour in Japan, 14 participants from the first batch and 18 participants from the second batch of managers taking the keiei-juku programme will learn the theories and observe the practices which can broaden their thinking about how Japanese-style management is implemented in Japan.

Associate Prof. Dr Somchanh said she hoped that programme participants would be able to learn and localise Japanese-style management into their working environments so that their companies would continue to grow amid the ever-increasing competitive environment brought about by globalisation.

Through the joint efforts of the Lao government and private sector with support and cooperation from development partners including JICA, Laos should be able to maintain its rapid economic growth and development, which has an increasingly high demand for trained personnel, she added.