Changes in the industrial structure have caused a rapid increase in the proportion of white-collar workers among total workers.Thus, development of the occupational abilities of white-collar workers has become an important issue not only for the workers themselves and for enterprises, but also for the Japanese economy as a whole.

A.	Lifelong Human Resources Development Center (Ability Garden)

The Lifelong Human Resources Development Center (Ability Garden) was esablished in FY1997 in Tokyo as a comprehensive, central facility for research and development, advanced or model education and training, information provision and counseling for white-collar workers, while cooperating with participants from various industries.

B.	Business Career System

The Business Career System is implemented to support the acquisition of specialized knowledge and skills by white-collar workers.
      The framework of this system involves the approval of education and training courses offered by various educational and training organizations that meet certain standards and grouping such courses by each white-collar job area and organizing the necessary specialized knowledge and skills for that specific job area by the field and level.The Japan Vocational Ability Development Association conducts end-of-term certification examinations for workers who complete approved education or training courses to certify that they have acquired the specialized knowledge and skills.