Iwate Higher Education Consortium

The Iwate Higher Education Consortium is made up of higher education institutions in Iwate Prefecture (Iwate University, Iwate Prefectural University, Iwate Medical University, Fuji University, Morioka University, The Open University of Japan's Iwate Study Center, the National Institute of Technology's Ichinoseki College, Iwate Prefectural University's Morioka Junior College and Miyako College, and Morioka Daigaku Junior College). The Consortium develops various projects, such as offering special education programs, educational credit transfer, promoting cooperation between high schools and universities, and promoting faculty and staff development. The basic objectives of these projectes are fostering human resources who will play key roles in the region, improving the university entrance rate in the prefecture, and stimulating the local community.

In December 2016, Iwate Prefecture was chosen for the Tobitate! Study Abroad Japan Regional Development Course promoted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Taking the opportunity, the Glocal Human Resources Development Project Team was established under a steering committee, and has been sharing information and liaising and coordinating with higher education institutions within Iwate Prefecture in cooperation with the Iwate Glocal Human Resources Development Promotion Council, which carries out the practical work of the Tobitate! Study Abroad Japan Regional Development Course.