Since 1991, ICA-AP in collaboration with JCCU has been conducting yearly training programs for managers of consumer co-ops in Asia to learn from the Japanese consumer co-op businesses and activities. Every year two batches of trainees participate in this program which are normally held in the months of July and November respectively.

The second batch of the 2018 training program was held from November 12 to 25 with the Co-opdeli Consumers’ Co-operative Union and Co-op Kobe providing the training facilities and resource persons. It was attended by five co-operative store managers from iCOOP, Korea (Ms. Choi Migum), Saigon Co-op, Vietnam (Ms. Tran Thi Nhu Lai & Mr. Ngo Trieu Duong), KO-UMMAH, Malaysia (Ms. Nur Atiqah Wadiah Binti Azmi), and Shree Warana Vibhag Sahakari Grahak Mandal Ltd., India (Mr. Shridhar Shankarrao Patil).

Group photo of the trainees and Board members of Co-op Kobe.

In this training program, through lectures, store training and tour of co-op facilities, the trainees learned extensively about the productivity improvement of co-op store business; incorporating members voices into co-op businesses and members’ activities. At the Co-opdeli headquarters, the trainees received a brief explanation on the structure of Co-opdeli and paid visits to Co-op Mirai facilities including a store, a day-care center (to learn about the welfare service of consumer co-ops), a logistics center and a recycling facility.

At Co-op Kobe, trainees inspected the home delivery distribution center and store facilities to learn about day-to-day workplace management. The trainees learned about the history of Co-op Kobe, members’ activities, employee education, environmental activities, and welfare business, the trainees learned about and the role and the activities of consumer co-ops in the local community. At the end of the program, trainees made presentations to the Board members of Co-op Kobe about their ideas to use the training experience to improve their work.