From September 17 to 20, 2019, a joint practical training session was held at Gifu University in partner with aircraft-related businesses within Gifu Prefecture.

The session was conducted as part of "human resource development for aircraft production technology/research & development project." It aims to foster human resources to promote "production technology" in aerospace field and develop relevant technologies through close collaborations among Gifu University, Nagoya University, local enterprises and industry-academia-finance-government partnership. Its target participants were university students, company employees, etc.

In aircraft manufacturing business, needs for "production technology" are rising because of its unique characteristics. The technology ought to be flexible to produce a wide variety of parts in small numbers in addition to parts for bigger equipment. Many aerospace enterprises are shifting their manufacturing bases overseas to cut personnel cost, and companies within the prefecture are pursuing a major breakthrough in the development of production technology for their survival.

The opening ceremony was held on September 12. Representatives from the companies accepting Gifu University students attended (Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd., Higuchi Manufacturing Co., Ltd., Asahi Kinzoku Kogyo Co., Ltd., etc.), and they spoke of their expectations toward the students.

The 3rd-year students from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the Department of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering, the Faculty of Engineering were invited to inspect aircraft-related enterprises. There, they tried to address issues/problems happening on actual manufacturing sites by utilizing their knowledge and expertise. The session gave the students a great opportunity to see and feel the real business operations firsthand.