About Hokuto

Training future nursing care specialists, caregivers, and childcare professionals needed by society

Sawada Sakimoto
Principal, Hokkaido Vocational Education and Welfare College, Hokuto Bunka Academy

Since the establishment of our school’s predecessor in 1941, we have continuously strived to provide human-centered education based on rich character development and strong values, while dedicating ourselves to nurturing specialized human resources who can contribute to the local community.

In April 1992, in response to the challenges of an aging society, we established the Department of Nursing Care Welfare to train professionals in the field of elderly care. In 2019, the department was renamed the Department of Nursing Care Welfare and Self-Reliance Support, which continues to operate today. As of March 2021, with the graduation of our 28th cohort, the employment rate of our graduates has remained at 100% for 28 consecutive years.

In addition, the Department of Children’s Future, established in 2009 to train childcare workers and preschool teachers, has continued its outstanding achievements, helping students who wish to enter the workforce realize their career goals for 11 consecutive years.

In the coming years, society will officially enter a period where the generation known as the baby boom generation — people who experienced Japan’s post-war period of rapid economic growth and possess diverse values and life experiences — will increasingly require professional nursing and caregiving services.

At the same time, as society faces the major challenges of securing human resources amid declining birth rates and an aging population, the role of childcare workers and preschool teachers has become increasingly important. These professionals support families where both parents work by providing essential childcare services, while also nurturing children’s intelligence and character during the most important stage of human development — early childhood.

As the only vocational school in the Iburi–Hidaka region of Hokkaido offering specialized programs in education and welfare, our school was officially recognized in March 2014 as a Professional Practical Training Program, reflecting our commitment to providing advanced and practical vocational education.

In November of the same year, with the goal of developing human resources capable of contributing to an increasingly globalized society, we established an academic partnership with Fooyin University in Kaohsiung, Taiwan (Republic of China), a prestigious university specializing in nursing education.

Following this, in April 2016, we signed an academic cooperation agreement with Hinomaru Academy in Hanoi, Vietnam, and in November of the same year, with Sakhalin College of Service in Sakhalin, Russia. Since then, the number of our partner institutions has continued to expand.

Furthermore, in October 2020, we launched the Japanese Language Education Program, marking a new chapter as the only Japanese language education institution in the region.

Moving forward, through actively promoting exchanges with our partner institutions, we will continue our mission of developing human resources who can contribute to the international community. We believe that professional education should be built upon mutual understanding — recognizing the differences between ourselves and others while respecting and accepting each other.

We believe that the spirit of “seeing others as a reflection of ourselves” and “understanding ourselves through others” is essential in cultivating the value that “the greatest happiness of oneself comes from creating happiness for others.”

This philosophy can only be nurtured through continuous practice and dedication to human-centered education based on our school’s principles of “Love – Respect – Trust.”

Going forward, all faculty members and staff will continue working together with determination, leading by example and faithfully carrying out the educational mission and values of our school.