Japanese men want to earn qualifications related to information technology, while women are more interested in learning a foreign language, according to a Web-based survey conducted by a Tokyo-based private education institute.
The Sanno Institute of Management conducted its poll on lifetime study in January and February, receiving 937 valid responses.
Responding to a multiple-choice question about qualifications they would like to obtain, the most popular choice among males was "information technology-related," at 31.8 percent. The most popular choice among females was "foreign language-related," at 27.4 percent.
Learning a foreign language was the second most popular choice among males, at 23.3 percent, followed by those who expressed an interest in being certified as management consultants for small and midsize firms, at 13.9 percent.
The second most popular choice for females was earning a "welfare-related" qualification, at 25.6 percent.
Some 58.2 percent of all respondents said they were interested in enrolling in a Web-based study course, but only 7.6 percent had actually done so. Some 34.3 percent expressed disinterest in such a move.
Asked about the merits of Web-based learning, 50.9 percent listed the convenience of submitting reports and being able to receive corrections and instructions via e-mail. On the flip side, 41.3 percent cited security concerns as a negative factor in these study programs.