Govt issues guideline to send trainee workers in Japan

The government has issued a guideline to send Nepalese industrial trainee workers in Japan under the industrial training assistance of Japan International Training Co-operation Organisation (JITCO).After the approval of the guideline on JITCO´s Industrial Training Program (ITP) and Technical Internship Program (TIP) for Nepali industrial workers, the Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM) has urged the selected 172 recruiting agencies including the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry to initiate the process of sending workers.The ministry on Friday said that they would also provide certificate to the 172 agencies selected for the sending Nepalese workers in Japan.“Now the guideline is approved. We will issue certificate and recruiting agencies will started seeking demand from Japanese Firms,” said Minister for Labour and Transport Management Mohamad Aftab Alam .Babu Ram Acharya, secretary at the ministry said that the guidelines would help streamline and expedite the process of sending workers under the JITCO´s human resource development programme.According to the ministry, some 1,000 industrial workers will get the opportunity to work in Japan under the JITCO programme this year. The eligible candidate will have to pay Rs. 50,000 as promotional fee to the recruiting agencies. An official at the ministry said apart from Rs. 50,000 the outbound industrial trainee will have to bear some Rs. 15,000 that includes the expenses for insurance, training fee and amount for the contribution to the Foreign Employment Welfare Fund.As per the guidelines, trainees having at least two years of work experience in industry, hotels, agro industry, cooperatives can get a chance to work as industrial trainee workers in Japan. Potential trainee workers should also obtain training in Japanese language and information about Japanese culture and the existing legal provisions. But the government has not decided institutions to take training so far."We will soon fix the centres where eligible candidates will take training," said Purna Chandra Bhattarai, joint secretary at the Labour Ministry.. The government and JITCO had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to this effect in December, 2003. A total of 15 countries have signed such part with JITCO. Only six Nepali women have got the opportunity to join Japanese garment factory through the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry under the two-year programme so far.