Schoo x Hiki City "Connected Learning College powered by Schoo Mesh" Concludes

Schoo Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Kenshiro Mori; hereinafter "Schoo"), a company driving social change through online learning and education, has concluded its first initiative of the regional co-creation human resource development service "Schoo Mesh," which began in October 2025. This initiative, "Hiki City Connected Learning College powered by Schoo Mesh," was held in Hiki City, Kagoshima Prefecture.

This program, conducted over six months from October 2025 to March 2026, combined online and in-person sessions with the theme of generative AI utilization. It not only showed a change in participants' attitudes towards generative AI utilization but also fostered new connections and insights through cross-company learning.

Background of the Program

Schoo has been engaged in regional revitalization projects since 2015, providing learning and reskilling opportunities to small businesses and residents in local communities. What became clear through these efforts was the challenge for local communities to access necessary learning due to financial constraints and information disparities.

In response, Schoo officially launched its regional co-creation human resource development service "Schoo Mesh," and as its first initiative, opened the "Hiki City Connected Learning College powered by Schoo Mesh."

Implementation Details of "Hiki City Connected Learning College powered by Schoo Mesh"

Over six months from October 2025 to March 2026, 45 participants, including Hiki City officials and workers in the city, joined the program with the theme of "Improving operational efficiency and skills using generative AI."

From October to January, the online program was divided into three tiers: young staff, managers, and executives. Participants learned the concepts and basic operations of generative AI utilization tailored to each tier.

In addition to input utilizing Schoo's content, opportunities for output were provided through individual and group work. Discussions were held on themes relevant to Hiki City's application and each participant's work, deepening their understanding for practical implementation.

From January to February, with the theme of "Finding small generative AI applications for one's own company," participants considered application scenarios based on what they had learned and undertook trials in their actual work.

In March, a two-day in-person joint training session was held. Participants brought their online learning and practical experiences, shared and discussed them through group work, providing an opportunity to learn from each other's perspectives and concrete application ideas that are difficult to obtain within a single company. Initiatives were refined with feedback from instructors and fellow participants, and a review was conducted with a view to practical implementation and future utilization.

Through these six months of efforts, participants reported reduced resistance to generative AI utilization and a realization of the effectiveness of blended learning combining online and in-person formats. Furthermore, by learning together across company and city hall boundaries, new connections and broader perspectives emerged within the region, indicating value beyond mere learning.

Comment from the Mayor of Hiki City

Yutaka Nagayama, Mayor of Hiki City

I myself participated in all programs of this initiative. What I realized through it was the joy of learning and working.

Continuing to find learning and work enjoyable, and people who can make work enjoyable, will lead to creating the appeal of Hiki as a city—that was the tangible feeling I had over these six months.

I hope that all participants will convey and spread the joy of learning and working in their respective workplaces.

This program is merely a starting point. I hope that participants will continue their efforts after returning to their workplaces, and together, we aim to update "work" in Japan from Hiki in the future.

About Schoo Inc.

With the mission of "eliminating graduation from the world," Schoo is promoting social change through online learning and education. Its online live learning community "Schoo for Personal," launched in 2012, offers daily free live classes based on the concept of "what working adults should learn now for the future." Approximately 9,000 recorded classes are available. For corporations, it provides "Schoo for Business," which enables both employee training and self-development, with over 1.4 million registered members and over 4,500 client companies. In 2021, it launched "Schoo Swing," an interactive learning management system.

In April 2026, it established a subsidiary "LoLLL Inc." to develop comprehensive HR services for regional areas, aiming to connect major metropolitan areas to regions.