Tokyo Metropolitan Kuramae Technical High School to Merge 4 Departments into a New "Urban Future Engineering" Department

The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education has begun considering restructuring a total of four departments at Tokyo Metropolitan Kuramae Technical High School (Taito-ku)—Architecture, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Facility Engineering—into a new single department, the "Urban Future Engineering Department." Schools selected for the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's program, which uses a fund for public high school reform, were announced on October 23, and this school was selected in Tokyo.

Background to the Restructuring

According to the Board of Education, in 2040, 60–70% of public buildings in Tokyo are expected to be more than 50 years old, which will concentrate demand for building renewal. Meanwhile, the number of workers in the construction industry is expected to decline by 140,000 by 2045, making human resource development an urgent task.

Key Points of the Reform Plan

• In the first year, all students will learn about the structure of urban infrastructure
• From the second year, students will divide into five courses, including "Urban Design," "Urban Infrastructure," and "Smart Energy and Urban Systems"
• Sharpening students' specialized skills through guidance from mentors from companies such as JR East, Tokyo Electric Power Company, and NTT East is also under consideration

As an initiative aimed at developing the next generation of talent to strengthen urban infrastructure, attention will be on how it takes concrete shape going forward.