Japan Deep Learning Association (JDLA) on June 30, 2021, at the “1st Digitization/Online Support EXPO / Telework / Telework Support EXPO / New Normal Office EXPO” held on July 1, 2021. Mr. Keita Nishiyama, Special Advisor of , gave a special lecture.
In the lecture, he explained the background and necessity of formulating “Di-Lite” , a common literacy for the digital age that all business people should have, as defined by the Digital Literacy Council .
Digital Literacy Council
On April 20, 2021, the Data Scientists Association, Japan Deep Learning Association (JDLA), and Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA) jointly established the Digital Literacy Council.
The Digital Literacy Council works as a public-private partnership meeting body with the aim of developing the digital literacy “Di-Lite” for modern business people and implementing it as a social standard. Through information dissemination and educational activities, the aim is to improve the literacy level of society as a whole and contribute to the strengthening of Japan’s industrial power.
This article reports on the contents of this lecture.
(Some of the contents of the lecture have been omitted and edited for the purpose of writing this article.)
Table of Contents
- Importance of Human Resources Using Digital Technologies | Background and Objectives of the Association
- “I don’t know the standard of skill level” Issues of DX human resource development in Japan
- How to think about DX – Why Japanese companies should have a DX mindset
- in conclusion
Importance of Human Resources Using Digital Technologies | Background and Objectives of the Association
In the lecture, he first talked about how the Digital Literacy Council was established.
Mr. Nishiyama: The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry is participating as an observer in the Digital Literacy Council, and we are working jointly with the public and private sectors. The purpose of public-private partnerships is to accelerate the development of digital human resources, and in the discussion of the Council, I would like to strongly promote it, accelerating it explosively.
“Digital human resources” has various meanings, but in the framework of DX, I believe that it is necessary to develop digital human resources, including those who not only “create” digital products and services, but also “use” them. We are working on it with that in mind.
The major background (of this initiative) is that despite the growing need to promote DX throughout society, the shortage of digital human resources has become an issue.
Furthermore, even if the company knows that there is a shortage of human resources, it is tied to “what kind of background the human resources should have”, “how many people should be hired”, and “what the human resources will do for the company”. There are many cases where they are not , and I think that is a problem for companies. We are trying to do what we can to solve that problem.
“I don’t know the standard of skill level” Issues of DX human resource development in Japan
Mr. Nishiyama said, ” We are now in an age where we need to use existing AI services instead of understanding and building a programming language from scratch for what we want to do . ” I explained the importance of training.
Nishiyama: I think there are many companies that are trying to raise the digital literacy level of their employees, that is, to deepen their knowledge of digital.
However, when you go to a bookstore and look at digital-related books, there are endless, and it takes time to look them up. Moreover, digital technology changes very quickly. I think it’s often the case that you don’t know where to start.
In addition, in a survey conducted by IPA, when asked about their perception of their own skill level as a business person, the number of respondents who answered “I don’t know what my skill level is” tended to be much higher than those in the United States and Germany. did. (*)
In other words, it can be said that neither the users themselves nor the companies that train them know what to do. I would like the three organizations to work together to tackle these human resource development issues.
How to think about DX – Why Japanese companies should have a DX mindset
At the end of his lecture, Mr. Nishiyama gave his own insight on the future shape and way of thinking of digitization after listing four goals for the future of the council.
Mr. Nishiyama: We believe that we need a learning culture that keeps learning. One of the objectives of the cooperation of the three organizations * is to “communicate ever-changing technologies.”
There are four things we aim to do in the future.
* Japan Data Scientists Association, Japan Deep Learning Association (JDLA), Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA)
- Covering the entire digital domain with software × data science × AI
- Be aware of human resources on the user side
- Link each role with required literacy and skills
- Be aware of the DX “mind” that everyone needs
Mr. Nishiyama: Regarding the third, we say “Seven Samurai” as an analogy. It is difficult for one person to understand all fields, so it is necessary to acquire literacy by sharing with other people in the company. I would like to create something like a big picture map that identifies what role each person should have and what kind of literacy they should have.
The fourth is that we should have a common DX mindset, that is, we should have a way of thinking. Japanese society is basically vertically divided. Industries and departments are often vertically divided. However, the digital structure is, in principle, horizontal.
In other words, if you try to use digital with a vertically divided concept, it will not work. No matter how much specialized knowledge you acquire, you do not have the power to change the business after all. In digital, there is a layer of horizontal division first, and the image is that people enter there. It is important to realize that the entire company is made up of layers.
Also, as technology changes day by day, the literacy and knowledge that must be acquired from time to time also change. Therefore, we believe that it is necessary to create a culture of continuous learning and disseminate it.
in conclusion
The Digital Literacy Council, which was launched in April 2021, plans to hold the “1st Digital Literacy Council” in July 2021. Discussions will be held on policies for future initiatives and the enhancement of joint promotion by the three organizations. The proactive activities of the council are expected to improve the digital literacy of Japanese companies and business people and advance the use of DX.
