With Communities

Vocational Scholarship Program; Assisting Future Leaders in Their Pursuit of Education

Since 1965, Akebono has provided scholarships through its Vocational Scholarship Program, a program that allows students to earn wages by working at Akebono while also covering their academic fees for a period of three years. This program has supported junior college students earning degrees in early childhood education to acquire specialist qualifications in these fields.

The Vocational Scholarship Program is currently operated only at Akebono Brake Fukushima Manufacturing Co., Ltd. The scholarship students live together in the corporate dormitory and work alternating shifts to pursue their studies while working. By using their pay to cover their course fees, they can graduate by their own efforts and acquire qualifications. Once they complete their qualifications, they will go on to work at other companies, or as kindergarten teachers or nursery workers.

Today, more than 3,000 students have used this program that has continued for more than 50 years, including some second-generation recipients.

On the site of Fukushima Manufacturing is a dormitory called “To-En-Ryo” to support the scholarship students. As the dormitory, which was built in 1971, had aged, a new dormitory was built in 2016. The new building includes various innovations to make it easier to study while working.

In January 2018, To-En-Ryo was awarded the 34th Fukushima Prefecture Architecture Cultural Awards’ Special Category Prize sponsored by Fukushima Prefecture. The dormitory’s living space was highly acclaimed for the bright living space and sense of unity it produces, especially the hall that becomes an amphitheater when the partition is closed and the open staircase.

We strive to maintain robust relationships with local residents through the provision of scholarship programs aimed at helping young people realize their dreams.