This study presents a new perspective on short-term study abroad, focusing on university students’ awareness of two essential competencies.“global competency” and “fundamental competencies for working persons.” For Japanese students, a popular means of meeting this demand is short-term study abroad; however, current programs do not seem to address global liberal arts, particularly fundamental competencies for working persons. For first-and second-year students, Hokkaido University’s First Step Program (FSP) provides a new perspective on this issue; it is a credited two-week program comprising student exchange activities at partner institutions and in-depth discussions with professionals at various Japanese/global companies and international organizations. Reports submitted as assignments by FSP students analyzing their description of international liberal arts revealed that flexible goal-setting attracted students, the two-week program is sufficient for them to gain awareness of global liberal arts, such as career planning, and this awareness could provide a basis for proceeding to the second step of longer-term study abroad.
