Energize Inc. Signs Partnership with Malaysia's USM, Offering a New Solution for Japan's Highly Skilled Talent Shortage
Key facts
- Energize Inc. Signs Partnership with Malaysia's USM, Offering a New Solution for Japan's Highly Skilled Talent Shortage
- On May 20, 2026, Energize Inc. signed an MOU with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). By co-hosting the 'Engineering Career Expo 2026' at the Penang campus, they have built an international platform that allows Japanese companies to directly recruit excellent engineering students.
- Source: PR Times
- Date: June 5, 2026
Direct answer
On May 20, 2026, Energize Inc. signed an MOU with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). By co-hosting the 'Engineering Career Expo 2026' at the Penang campus, they have built an international platform that allows Japanese companies to directly recruit excellent engineering students.
- Citation
- Energize Inc. Signs Partnership with Malaysia's USM, Offering a New Solution for Japan's Highly Skilled Talent Shortage (June 5, 2026), PR Times
- Source
- PR Times
- Date
- June 5, 2026
On May 20, 2026, Energize Inc. signed an MOU with Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). By co-hosting the 'Engineering Career Expo 2026' at the Penang campus, they have built an international platform that allows Japanese companies to directly recruit excellent engineering students.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: June 5, 2026 at 01:17
- 🔍 Collected: June 4, 2026 at 16:36
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: June 5, 2026 at 00:51 (8h 14m after Collected)
Energize Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Taro Ozaki; hereinafter "Energize") formally signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on May 20, 2026, with Universiti Sains Malaysia (hereinafter "USM"), a leading national university in Malaysia, regarding international recruitment and the promotion of industry-academia collaboration.
Through this partnership, a framework has been established that allows foreign companies, including those from Japan, to connect with USM's outstanding engineering students and graduates directly on the university campus, facilitating engineer recruitment, internships, and industry-academia collaborations. Previously, companies collaborating with the university for recruitment were primarily local Malaysian firms. This initiative introduces a new international recruitment model, enabling foreign companies, including Japanese firms, to approach highly skilled engineering talent at top ASEAN universities directly.
■ Background
In recent years, the shortage of highly skilled engineering talent has become increasingly severe for Japanese companies, with many finding that domestic recruitment alone is insufficient to support their growth strategies. Meanwhile, the ASEAN region is home to many young individuals with high-level expertise and an international mindset, and there is growing anticipation among them to engage with international companies starting from their university years.
Against this backdrop, Energize has been supporting international talent acquisition and global organizational development, primarily focusing on the ASEAN region. The success of these efforts has been recognized, leading to this formal partnership with USM.
■ Engineering Career Expo 2026
As the first initiative under this agreement, the "Engineering Career Expo 2026" was co-hosted on May 20 and 21, 2026, at the USM Engineering Campus (Penang, Malaysia).
The event saw participation from over 60 companies and industry associations from Japan, China, Malaysia, and other countries. Opportunities for recruitment, internships, and career consultations were provided to USM engineering students and graduates.
Professor Dr. Azlan Amran, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Industry and Community) at USM, commented on the event: "The participation of over 60 companies and industry associations demonstrates the industry's confidence in the quality and employability of USM graduates."
■ A New Model Leading to On-Campus Recruitment: Connecting Japanese Companies Directly with Highly Skilled ASEAN Talent
The most significant feature of this partnership is that it allows foreign companies, including those from Japan, to meet students and conduct recruitment activities directly on the university campus. For companies, this serves as a new opportunity to discover excellent engineering talent locally, while for students, it offers a chance to expand their possibilities for building an international career.
■ Future Outlook: Building an International Talent Circulation Platform
Moving forward, Energize plans to roll out corporate lectures, workshops, and internship collaborations, promoting initiatives that balance career development support for students with global talent acquisition for companies. Energize will continue to strengthen its partnerships with overseas universities, particularly in Asia, and contribute to realizing sustainable international talent circulation through the construction of platforms that connect companies with highly skilled talent.
■ Comments from Taro Ozaki, CEO of Energize
"It is a great honor to be able to collaborate at this time, as USM's philosophy of 'maximizing the potential of outstanding young talent and promoting opportunities for international career development' aligns perfectly with the activities we at Energize have been pursuing with a strong sense of purpose. We aim to connect universities and industry in a mutually valuable way, and convey to students the significance and fulfillment of creating new value across borders and cultures, rather than simply pursuing high salaries. We will continue to work comprehensively hand-in-hand with USM to support individuals in living fulfilling lives in the global era."
■ Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM)
Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) is one of Malaysia's leading national universities and was designated as the sole APEX (Accelerated Programme for Excellence) university by the Malaysian government in 2008. Possessing top-tier educational and research environments both domestically and internationally, it is a key national university fostering the next generation of international engineers.
USM's engineering education covers a wide range of fields including aerospace, mechanical, electrical and electronic, chemical, civil, and materials engineering, providing a curriculum that combines theory with practice. Through industry-academia collaborations, internships, and career fairs, students refine their practical skills and problem-solving abilities while addressing real-world challenges, developing into highly evaluated talent sought after by domestic and international companies.
■ Energize Inc.
Energize Inc. is a hands-on support company for globalization and cross-border projects. They offer recruitment activities to discover the right talent for companies from around the world, as well as training services designed to build an organizational culture where not only Japanese employees but also multinational talent can thrive, aimed at strengthening global business.
FAQ
What business does Energize Inc. do?
They provide hands-on support for globalization and cross-border projects, offering talent acquisition from around the world and training services to build organizational cultures for multinational talent.
Where is the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) engineering campus located?
It is located in the state of Penang, Malaysia.
What is an APEX university?
It stands for 'Accelerated Programme for Excellence', a designation by the Malaysian government. USM is the only university to receive this designation in 2008.