March 2025
Hitoshi Ohnaka, Executive Officer, General Manager of Sales & Marketing Division

Expanding Corporate Training Market

Over the years, we have delivered a wide range of training programs for public institutions, universities, and private companies. Participants have included next-generation business successors, SME consultants, and employees from various industries including financial services.

Some trainees have successfully launched their own businesses after completing our programs, while others struggled with their own company operations during the course of longer-term training. With participants coming from various professional positions, we have also found ourselves constantly stimulated and challenged in our role as instructors.

In our role at Yano Research Institute, we receive not only requests to conduct pre-defined training programs, but also a growing number of inquiries for bespoke, company-specific training solutions.

According to our publication, "Corporate Training Service Market 2024," the corporate training services market continues to expand.
With COVID-19 reclassified as a Category V disease under Japan’s infectious disease legislation, demand for in-person group training has shown signs of strong recovery. At the same time, the online training programs that emerged during the pandemic revealed substantial latent demand, particularly from companies that had previously never engaged in training services.

Furthermore, hierarchical training programs—targeting new hires, junior to mid-level staff, future leaders, middle managers, and executive candidates—have also seen consistent demand. In line with the mandatory human capital information disclosures introduced from the fiscal year ending March 2023, corporate investment in employee development is increasing. This trend is also driving the market for succession planning aimed at developing successors for key positions.

 

Trends in Corporate Training Services Market Size (with FY2024 Forecast)

Source: Yano Research Institute Ltd., “Corporate Training Service Market in Japan: Research Findings (2024)” – Published August 23, 2024

• Note 1: Based on vendor revenue
• Note 2: The figure for fiscal year 2024 is a forecast
   

Increasing Demand for Customization

While the overall market is as described above, there has been a noticeable shift in the nature of training-related inquiries since the pandemic, as more companies aim to restructure their businesses.

Previously, there were many requests for generic training applicable to any company, regardless of industry or size, such as "marketing training." However, recently, there has been an increase in requests for more specific skills, such as "developing the ability to independently formulate business and marketing strategies" and "producing tangible business strategy outcomes as a result of the training."

In other words, clients are no longer satisfied with passive learning through lectures or case studies. They are now seeking training experiences where facilitators deeply understand the client’s industry and internal environment, and help co-create outcomes directly relevant to the client’s business challenges.

While the importance of customization in training is widely acknowledged, the nature and volume of recent inquiries clearly indicate a significant intensification of this trend.

It is worth noting that our firm does not specialize in training. Our core business lies in publishing marketing intelligence and conducting research and consulting. Therefore, while we cannot claim that this trend is industry-wide, it is nonetheless a compelling development worth paying close attention to.
 

Shaping a New Kind of Training, Different from Any Other Industry

In the realm of business training, content is often segmented by job level, functional domain, or management challenge. While these frameworks each have their merits, common criticisms include overly abstract content and a lack of practical applicability.

In light of this, our current approach diverges from the traditional model of “resolving business challenges as a result of training.” Instead, we have inverted the concept: we aim to address business challenges through a training-based format, rather than through conventional one-way consulting or research.

This redefinition takes us beyond the conventional framework of “training.” From a provider’s standpoint, this approach presents difficulties in terms of scalability and standardization. However, when viewed as a form of hands-on corporate support, it transforms into a high-value consulting service that leverages our core competencies.

Based on this perspective, we are currently developing a strategic support model that stands apart from both traditional training services and mainstream consulting practices—offering a new pathway for solving clients' critical business issues.