【AISC Introduction】 Development Training for an “Organization that Contributes to Business through Advanced Technology”
This is the English version.
Introduction
Hello, my name is Yoshiyasu Shirado from GA Technologies’ Advanced Innovation Strategy Center (AISC). As mentioned on our website, AISC is an organization that "contributes to business through advanced technology." One example of this vision is our development training program (Bootcamp).
This training program is designed to equip members with essential development skills for our work, and many of our new graduates who complete this training program make significant contributions from their first or second year.
In this article, I will provide an overview of our development training program to share the specific initiatives of AISC and the team-oriented approach we uphold. I hope this serves as an example for those who are looking for ways to link technology with business impact.
This is the fourth article in our AISC introduction series, so if you find it interesting, please check out our previous articles as well:
Training Overview
The development training program primarily targets "new graduate members who have no development experience" and is designed to be completed within approximately three months after joining AISC (starting after the company's initial orientation). Those who have development experience or are mid-career hires may complete it in a shorter period and are then assigned to one of our "R&D", "DX", or "Data Science" teams. (For an overview of the entire program, please refer to our previous article.)
During the training, a senior member acts as a mentor, providing support and feedback. Progress is tracked, and questions are documented, through Git, and feedback sessions with the mentor typically occur once a day.
2024 Curriculum Topics
In 2024, participants will be introduced to the following topics:
Git
Shell Script
Python
Web Basics
HTML / CSS
JavaScript
SSH / SCP
Docker
Databases (SQL)
AWS Lambda + API Development with AWS Lambda
Python Scripting Challenge (an original task to develop foundational programming skills by creating tools based on specified requirements)
AWS Amplify
React
I myself completed this training when I joined the team, and looking back, I noticed the following features:
Emphasis on "hands-on practice" and "output".
Focus on technologies essential for developing prototypes.
Regarding the topics, "Web Basics" is the only topic where members finish by explaining their learning content to the mentor after consulting resources and reference sites. All other topics are conducted through tutorials. For example, in Python, we use the introductory course from Paiza Learning:
After completing each tutorial, members organize key concepts in their own words, and discuss them with their mentor, and complete a programming assignment to finish the section.
Regarding the second point, up until 2023, "Rails" was included in the curriculum due to its significance in our in-house products. However, AISC rarely requires members to perform maintenance on existing products immediately after joining; instead, they often focus on creating new prototypes. Therefore, we now prioritize React.js and AWS Amplify for web application development rather than Rails.
The public AISC TechLab, which was released last December, is an example of this approach, with different members responsible for the planning, development, and operation of each tool. A second-year new graduate also participated in the project.
To explain the philosophy behind our development training, I interviewed Mr. Inamoto, the program designer.
Philosophy Behind the Training Program
Q. How was the development training program designed?
Inamoto: Around 2019, our team was facing challenges in development skills, so we consulted with the then-CTO and based the program on the training conducted by the development team. The overall concept and skill choices have stayed the same, but we update specific tools each year to meet the team’s changing needs.
Q. On what basis do you make updates?
Inamoto: We select tools likely to be used in actual tasks. One standard might be, "If they understand this, I can ask them to do the work". Recently, we included Amplify to enable members to develop serverless web applications. This shift was based on our experience with the high learning cost of quality demands in security associated with server management.
The training covers only the essential technologies, so we also provide a list of additional skills that members can explore to further enhance their development abilities.
Q. Are there any future challenges?
Inamoto: We aim for every AISC member to possess both R&D and business contribution skills. Since GA operates various businesses at different stages, we believe we provide huge opportunities for members to apply their acquired development skills and planning abilities in actual projects. However, in terms of R&D skills, we plan to grow support further. While we have allowed individual and team-specific choices in technical specialization, we now recognize the need to provide new graduates with a structured pathway to gain specific expertise. We are currently expanding training and guidance for specialized skills.
Conclusion
The above is an introduction to the development training conducted by AISC. Since our curriculum is constantly evolving, I will not publish our materials at this time, but if you are interested, please feel free to contact us!
We will continue sharing updates on AISC’s work style and activities through our official Note account, so please follow us for more insights: