External Support
External Educational and Skills Support
The SMM Group conducts educational and skill programs for local people involved in the communities where our business sites are located, contributing to local development. In FY2023, we implemented 40 such programs.
Scholarship Program Established to Develop Human Resources Who Contribute to Local Communities
As one of the measures to support the nurturing of the next generation, in FY2023 we established the
JEES-SMM Regional Contribution Scholarship within the Japan Educational Exchanges and Services
(JEES) based on our donation to support students who are willing to contribute to the sustainable
development of the regions where our business sites are located and who need financial assistance.
This scholarship provides JPY100,000 per month, non-repayable until graduation, to students
who are motivated to contribute to the sustainable development of the Tama District of Tokyo,
Hyogo, Ehime, and Kagoshima Prefectures. We awarded scholarships to 20 students in FY2023.
To date, the first step of the program has been “discovery” to help scholarship recipients learn
about community support. In-person training was conducted in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture,
the site of the former Besshi Copper Mine, with the objective of helping the students gain the perspective
needed to contribute to local communities by understanding the history and background
of the local community, experiencing its characteristics firsthand, and developing empathy for the
people who live and work in the community. Starting in the next fiscal year, we plan to conduct
programs for scholarship recipients to “dig deeper” into what they discovered, define their own purpose
in contributing to the community, and becoming “involved” in actual community contribution
measures with the goals of learning about the philosophy and vision of the SMM Group, becoming
supporters, and actively participating in the communities where our business sites are located.
■ Examples of Educational Programs Supported by SMM
| Program | Overview | Beneficiaries (stakeholders) |
Contribution amount (in local currency) |
Number of participants/ subjects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inquiry-based learning support (Tokyo) |
Support for the inquiry-based learning of first-year students using corporate PR material development as the subject matter | Students at Tokyo Metropolitan Akirudai High School | ー | 230 |
| On-site project (Ehime Prefecture) |
An introduction to the history of Sumitomo in relation to the SDGs | Fourth-grade students at all elementary schools in Niihama City | ー | 786 |
| Educational support for indigenous peoples (Philippines) |
Educational support for indigenous peoples at 38 learning centers in Bataraza and Rizal Provinces | Indigenous peoples | 17,000,000 PHP |
ー |
| Sumitomo Metal Mining Oceania supported Scholarships (Australia) |
A scholarship program for university students under the age of 30 years. Recipients are provided an opportunity to experience work at the Northparkes Mine | University students under the age of 30 years in the central-western region of New South Wales | 9,000 AUD |
3 |
| University of Atacama scholarship (Chile) |
A scholarship program for female engineering students at the University of Atacama | Female engineering students at the University of Atacama | 4,000,000 CLP |
8 |
Leadership Development and Training Programs in Regional Communities
We contribute to the further development of regional society in areas where we conduct business by develop leadership in local communities and providing training programs through support in the form of funding and human resources. In FY2023, we implemented 11 programs.
Ome-Hamura Corporate Collaboration Social Contribution Project
The Ome District Division launched the Ome-Hamura Corporate Collaboration Social Contribution Project with the local social welfare council, other local companies, and Tama University Research Institute to develop a shared understanding of social issues based on dialogue and take action to resolve those issues through collaborative efforts. For this project, Tama University faculty members held six study sessions with members of the local social welfare council, government officials, and local companies (a total of about 60 participants) while coordinating with one another to deepen mutual understanding between the public and private sectors concerning the potential of initiatives that could lead to the creation of value for the community. The initial result was joint purchases with other local companies of bread, sweets, and other items produced by local businesses that employ persons with disabilities which led to the initiation of measures for improving the job satisfaction and wages of the employees of those businesses. The project was launched in April 2024 with project management transferred local social welfare council. Going forward, we will support expansion of networks and other measures to encourage even further value creation in the community.
■ Example of Leadership Development and Training Programs
| Program | Overview | Beneficiaries (stakeholders) |
Contribution amount (in local currency) |
Number of participants/ subjects |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAMA-SIL Regional Social Problem-Solving Experience Program | A network of young workers across local governments was created to discover, identify, and solve regional issues through collaboration with local companies and universities and practice the solutions in their day-to-day work | Young workers of local governments under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government | ー | 30 |
| Support for organic rice cultivation (Philippines) |
Support for organic rice cultivation through support for the livelihoods of local residents | Agricultural employees in Daywan Barangay, Sapa, and Ladgaron | 6,050,000 PHP |
ー |
| Support for sale of indigenous handicrafts | An exhibition and sales facility for IP indigenous handicrafts was created along the main road in Urbiztondo village and a Facebook account was created for online marketing of products | Indigenous peoples | 300,000 PHP |
ー |
| University and high school construction support (Philippines) |
Construction of Surigao Norte State University and Cagdianao High School | Students of Surigao Norte State University and Cagdianao High School | 20,000,000 PHP |
ー |
Back to Co-Existence and Mutual Prosperity with Local Communities
