PROGOS Inc. (hereafter, “PROGOS”), the subsidiary of EdTech company RareJob, Inc. (hereafter, “RareJob”), announces that the AI business speaking test PROGOS® will be used for the selection of participants for the “FY2023 Tourism Industry Worker Dispatch Support Project to Develop Human Resources to provide High Value-added Tourism Services” supported by the Japan Tourism Agency, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

Background

According to the Japan National Tourism Organization, the number of foreign visitors to Japan from January to October 2023 reached approximately 19 million, surpassing for the first time the numbers reached in a single month in October 2019 prior to the pandemic.1. In particular, as inbound demand from foreign tourists expands, there is a need to provide high value-added tourism services in Japan and to develop the human resources that will be responsible for such services. In addition, in the travel and accommodation industry,where tourists visiting Japan from around the world are entertained, it is expected that simply being able to speak English will not be enough; world-class English communication will increasingly be required.

The Japan Tourism Agency (JTA) has decided to conduct the “Tourism Industry Worker Dispatch Support Project for the Development of Human Resources to provide High Value-added Tourism Services“. As an example, they will implement an initiative to dispatch domestic tourism industry operators to a 5-star luxury hotel in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. One of the application requirements is English proficiency, which is not based on TOEIC® L&R scores, which are commonly used in Japan, but rather on CEFR2, an international language proficiency framework, and other globally accepted skill levels are required. The importance of being able to quantitatively measure and visualize whether or not a person has a globally acceptable level of English proficiency at the CEFR level is becoming even more important.

Natural Works (trading name: COI Study Abroad Agency) , which operates the overseas language training and internship arrangement business, as the secretariat of the project, will use PROGOS®.

For more information on this project, please contact the secretariat (Natural Works Co., Ltd.).

URL:https://www.coi-japan.com/
Contact:office@coi-japan.com

Features of PROGOS® and the decisive factors for its use

PROGOS® AI Business Speaking Test complies with CEFR , an international language proficiency framework, and is automatically scored by AI, resulting in low test fees and results returned in as little as two to three minutes.

Future Developments

In addition to responding to the further expansion of inbound demand, the production of globally active human resources will become an even more important issue for the Japanese economy and society. Because English will become an essential communication skill and tool, it is expected to become increasingly important to quantitatively measure and visualize the skills, especially in the travel and accommodation industry, in order to conduct business in the proper manner.

PROGOS® is a test that conforms to CEFR, the international standard framework, and can be taken on a large scale using AI automated scoring. The PROGOS® can be used in a wide range of applications, including the Japan Tourism Agency’s support project, for measuring and visualizing English speaking ability, regardless of whether it is for government or business.

PROGOS will continue to support globally active human resources through the use of PROGOS®, and by extension, contribute to solving the problems of the Japanese economy and society.

References:
1: Number of Foreign Visitors to Japan (Estimated figures for October 2023), Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO).
2: CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Indicates levels of communicative competence.

PROGOS Inc.

Location: Kyocera Harajuku Building 2F, 6-27-8 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Representative: Shunichi Tsubouchi, President and Representative Director
URL:https://www.progos.co.jp/
Business: Assessment and development of global leaders