For Local Communities
Contributing to the Community
| Fiscal 2023 Objectives | Fiscal 2023 Achievements | Self-Evaluation | Priority Objectives for Fiscal 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
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★★ |
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- Self-evaluation：
- ★★★ Achieved more than targeted /
- ★★ chieved as targeted /
- ★ Achieved to some extent
Based on its business philosophy of “contributing to the culture, benefits, and welfare of people throughout the world,” Sharp is working to address local social issues as a member of the communities where it does business. In order to continue fostering relationships of mutual prosperity with communities, Sharp employees take the initiative in carrying out voluntary and ongoing community service activities.
Career Education for People with Disabilities
As part of a larger program of community service activities that draws on its founder’s commitment to helping disabled individuals, Sharp works with Sharp Tokusen Industry Co., a Sharp special subsidiary*, to conduct career education activities for people with disabilities. The aim is to foster a career-minded perspective and motivate them to work and achieve greater self-sufficiency.
Starting in fiscal 2023, Sharp added a new online class and held a total of 400 sessions across the following five courses for a total of 2,155 people with disabilities and their supporters. (Since the start of this program in fiscal 2012, a total of 4,180 sessions have been held and 25,938 people have participated.)
- Workplace tour : Visit the workplace of employees with disabilities and attend a lecture
- Workplace experience : Experience work where employees with disabilities are active
- School visits : Employees with disabilities visit schools to give talks on what it means to work
- Online class (video-based) : Instruction using videos and worksheets
- Lecture (in-person) : A wide-range of hands-on lectures given by employees with disabilities
Sharp, in partnership with D&I, Inc., collaborates with the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education in providing career and vocational education to facilitate the social independence of children and students attending prefectural special-needs schools. Sharp’s contributions include welcoming students for workplace tours. It has received a letter of appreciation from the board for two consecutive years in recognition of these efforts to foster students’ desire to work and to provide steady employment support toward their future social independence.
- A subsidiary that a company establish es and that gives special efforts to employ th e disabled, in ord er to provide th em with more employment opportunities and greater job security.
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Workplace visit -
Workplace experience -
School visit -
Online class -
Lecture
Resuming School Visits and Continuing Online Classes
The school visit program for special-needs schools begun in fiscal 2012 has been requested by schools all over Japan, from Hokkaido to Kagoshima, and classes have been held at approximately 30 schools per year.
However, in 2020, with the pandemic making it difficult for schools across the country to visit
companies, Sharp began offering online classes for a limited time.
In the four years since the start of these classes, Sharp has received requests from many special-needs schools, 412 in total. Among these schools were some Sharp had never visited before, such as schools for the blind and special-needs schools located inside hospitals where it would be difficult to host an outside instructor. This brought to Sharp’s attention the importance of providing career education to students attending such schools. Since online classes do not require instructors to travel, schedules can be adjusted more flexibly, meaning classes can be provided to a larger number of schools. As online classes can be adapted to the needs of each school, regardless of whether or not infection control measures are in place, Sharp has decided to continue them even after the shift to Class 5 classification of in May 2023.
The school visit program, which had been curtailed in order to help prevent the spread of Covid-19, has been resumed with visits taking place across the country from fiscal 2023. In this program, instructors visit schools and give lectures based on their own experiences. These classes may include hands-on group work that allows students to gain a first-hand understanding of the importance of teamwork, or have the instructor talk about their experiences working as an employee with a disability.
Many teachers have thanked Sharp for the opportunity to have actual employees come to their classrooms to reinforce the things they regularly tell their students. Moving forward, Sharp will continue its school visits and online classes to provide career education that meets the needs of participants and will continue to explore ways to make these activities more effective in order to help as many disabled people find employment as possible.
Lecture on Working at a Special Subsidiary Company
In April 2024, Sharp Tokusen was asked by Tanpisou Hospital in Habikino, Osaka Prefecture, which provides daycare services for people with mental disabilities, to give a lecture on the current employment situation for, and systems available to, people with mental disabilities.
A total of 29 people, including daycare service users, took part. A Sharp Tokusen employee with social welfare expertise discussed trends in employment of people with disabilities and the special subsidiary company system, types of people companies are looking for, and initiatives to help people continue working.
After learning about the diverse range of work available in companies and the wide range of opportunities available to people, regardless of level or type of disability, the participants asked many questions, demonstrating a strong desire and interest in working.
After the lecture, Sharp interviewed daycare staff member Mr. Kano (a mental health social worker at the Regional Medical Support Office) and the participants. They said that they felt there was a possibility of finding employment after learning that there are companies where people with mental disabilities can work, that accommodating work environments are being created, and that employment quotas are expanding.
Sharp will continue to work to carry on its founder’s passion for helping people with disabilities.
Comment from a Special-Needs School Participating in Career Education
We are very grateful to Sharp Tokusen Industry Co. for their ongoing support in our career planning efforts. Our school is a special-needs high school offering vocational education and is celebrating its 10th year. Based on the keywords of “chance,” “challenge,” and “change,” we strive to be a school that cultivates individuals who can achieve social independence through employment to live full lives.
I come from the private sector and have been involved in employing people with disabilities. At our school, we fully understand that companies prefer students to acquire soft skills over hard skills, and we tell our students to focus on their energy (physical strength), greetings (manners), and smiles (communication skills). Since last year, Sharp Tokusen has visited us to give easy-to-understand talks on teamwork and what it means to work.
Hearing from a company directly was a valuable opportunity for the students, and it allowed them to deepen their understanding of the concept of work in a personally relatable way. A workplace and society that is accommodating of students with disabilities would be accommodating of everyone. Sharp Tokusen’s operations focused on people with disabilities and its educational support for children with disabilities expand the opportunities for students to excel and shine by allowing them to demonstrate their abilities through the use of their individuality and strengths. This ties into the idea of an SDGs-focused society in which “no one is left behind.”
The teachers and staff of our school will continue to work together as one to provide education that lets our students spend each day with a smile on their faces, both at school and after they graduate.
I humbly ask that Sharp Tokusen continue providing us with its guidance and support, and it is my sincere wish that it will see further growth in the future.
Principal, Osaka Prefectural Murano High School for Special Needs Education
Message from a School Visit Employee Instructor
I have been an instructor in the school visit program since fiscal 2023. Although I had little experience speaking in public, I accepted the role because I wanted to share my experiences with as many students as possible. Since I am close in age to the students, I try to communicate what it means to work from a young person’s perspective.
In class, I emphasize the importance of consulting with others as a key workplace skill. I didn’t really consult with others much when I was a student, but, after I started working, I came to realize how important it is. I believe that, especially when you are going through a difficult time, it’s important to consult with others. I want students to know that, by developing their ability to consult with others during their student days, they will feel more at ease once they start working. As a student, I had a negative impression of working. But once I actually began working, I came to realize that both the joys and difficulties of working contribute to a richer life. I hope to continue using these school visits as opportunities to help students think about the significance of working.
Sharp Tokusen Industry Co.
Community Service Activities around the World
Sharp bases around the world actively carry out community service activities.
Supporting Children and Their Families, and Military Veterans
SEC, Sharp’s production and sales base in the U.S., established a committee called Sharp Community Outreach Programs and Events (SCOPE), which works to improve people’s lives; for example, families struggling financially and military veterans.
The company strives to create meaningful opportunities and provide invaluable resources so that it can ensure a bright and fair future for people who require support.
Main SCOPE Activities
- Support for equine therapy for autistic children (organized by Pony Power Therapies)
- Donation of coats to households needing financial support
- Hiking to raise money for needy children to take part in summer programs
- Donation of food to the Military Assistance Pantry, which supports the lives of military veterans
- Donation of Sharp products to housing projects supporting military veterans
Education and Donations for Orphanage
During Ramadan, Indonesian production and sales base SEID held a charity program for an orphanage in Bogor. The program provides enjoyable opportunities to learn about Islam and the environment.
Held in March 2024 during Ramadan, the program taught the 40 participating children the basics of environmental protection, such as the types of hard-to-decompose garbage, the dangers of global warming, and planting trees. SEID also made donations to improve the facilities of the orphanage, providing a washing machine and two rice cookers that will make daily life better for the children.
Donation Program Held During Ramadan
During Ramadan, Indonesian production and sales base SEID held a special program called Sharp Bersedekah. Started 15 years ago, the program is a way to work with the community in raising awareness of and helping those in need.
In fiscal 2023, the company held the Food for Good Cooking Game, in which SEID donates one pack of food to an orphanage each time a customer takes part in the game. SEID also donated a refrigerator to use for cooked food and beverages that are donated.
Teaching CPR and Mental Health Emergency Measures
In January 2023, 15 employees from 11 offices of SBSUK, Sharp’s sales base in the UK, completed a two-day mental health emergency measures training course conducted by Mental Health First Aid England. The purpose of this training is to teach participants to recognize the early symptoms of mental health problems and to provide the initial support and guidance mental health sufferers need.
In February 2023, 20 employees of SBSUK’s head office took part in Creating a Nation of Lifesavers, an initiative of the British Heart Foundation. In the training, videos showed simulated situations to stress the importance of CPR, and participants practiced CPR on training dummies. Online training was also provided to all SBSUK employees.
Support for Disaster-Affected Areas in Japan and Overseas
Sharp donated 10 million yen in relief funds through nonprofit organizations and others to support recovery and reconstruction efforts in areas affected by the Turkey-Syria earthquakes that occurred in March 2023.
Also, following the Noto Peninsula Earthquake that hit Ishikawa Prefecture in January 2024, Sharp donated 20 million yen in relief funds, as well as approximately 9.61 million yen in donations from employees. Sharp also provided a range of other support to the affected areas, including special repair services for Sharp products and dispatching employee volunteers.