Innovation... in English!
High school students gain real-world business experience at Nomura

During summer vacation, Nomura invited 10 high school students to its headquarters in Tokyo for an event called “English Job Challenge 2025.” Organized by the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education, the event targets students enrolled in metropolitan high schools. The initiative aims to provide students with practical opportunities to use English and think about their career paths, while promoting a global outlook and increasing motivation for learning English. Now in its second year, the event saw participation from 23 companies and organizations, including Nomura Holdings.

During the program, students interacted with Nomura employees who use English in their daily work, and learned about the work and role of a securities brokerage in the global economy.

Tomosuke Fukuoka from the Financial Well-being Department, who led the program, opened by saying, “I’m not a native English speaker, so if you find English a bit difficult, feel free to speak in Japanese.” This seemed to reassure the nervous students. The session then started with the students introducing themselves in English. Although they seemed a bit hesitant at first, by the time they finished their introductions, everyone was smiling and more relaxed.

After the introductions, it was time for the “Innovation Work” session. Students learned about the founding spirit of  globally renowned Japanese companies and watched video interviews with founders of recently established startups. Following the video, they were divided into three groups to explore the concept of innovation together. Each participant imagined themselves as an entrepreneur and came up with ideas to solve everyday problems, creating products or services based on their ideas. Each group was guided by an employee coach who supported and encouraged the students to share their opinions.

First, students wrote their ideas on post-it notes and shared them within their groups. Employee coaches listened carefully and guided the discussions. Laughter filled each table as the students enjoyed brainstorming creative ideas. Although it was sometimes frustrating not being able to fully express themselves in English, the students encouraged and supported one another to overcome these challenges.

Finally, it was time for presentations. Each group presented their ideas and the winning team was chosen by a vote. 

To close out the event, the students toured the live trading floor. From the upper level, they looked down at the bustling scene they had only seen before on economic news programs. Excited and curious, they asked questions such as, “What are they doing over there right now?” as they took in their first glimpse of the trading world.

The students gave their all, doing their best to express their thoughts in English and carefully listen to others. It was both a heartwarming and inspiring event. We hope this experience will help them as they prepare to enter society and step onto the global stage.

I was originally interested in non-Japanese companies, but after researching Nomura, I realized it is a truly global company. I’m still not sure what I want to do in the future. I thought you had to study economics to work in finance, so I was surprised to hear that the employee leading our group majored in English literature. This showed me that even in a securities company, there are opportunities to use your passions and strengths. This experience has changed how I see Nomura.

I have been doing online English lessons with a teacher from the Philippines since elementary school. I also stayed in Boston for a nine-day language study in high school.

My sister works in finance, so I was a bit interested in finance and knew about Nomura because it is a well-known company. What impressed me most was the innovation program. We had to think about how to persuade others to invest in our ideas, and we had to do it in English. It was hard, but I kept trying and with the help of other students, I was able to improve my English. It was a lot of fun. Everyone else spoke English fluently, but I couldn’t express myself well. I wish I had spoken up more. 

I knew Nomura was a large global company, so I was curious about the people from different countries working together there. I had never participated in business development discussions in English at school, so this experience was both refreshing and valuable. An employee from Jamaica led our group discussions in English. Hearing diverse opinions from a variety of people helped me gain new perspectives. I’m grateful for this experience because it made me feel like I was growing and becoming more refined.

I often watch English content on social media and stay updated on overseas pop culture trends.

I want to work overseas in the future. When I researched Nomura Holdings, I found that it has connections with overseas markets in various fields, which opens up many possibilities. From participating in this program, I felt that Nomura is a company where you can freely share your opinions and never get bored. I enjoyed speaking with employees and my group members, sharing ideas, and working together to propose a product. I also found it interesting to consider the other party’s needs during negotiations. Since I’m interested in economics, the experience  was very useful.

I have lived abroad, and I believe the most important thing is to learn new vocabulary, one word at a time. Speaking through trial and error is the best way to improve.