Japan offers more jobs

Bangladesh yesterday signed a memorandum of cooperation (MoC) with Japan to widen the scope of training and jobs for Bangladeshi youths in the East Asian developed country.

Bangladesh's Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry Acting Secretary Dr Nomita Halder and Japan's Health, Labour and Welfare Ministry Policy-Coordination Vice Minister Jinichi Miyano signed the document on recruitment of technical interns in Tokyo.

Hiromu Kurokawa, vice minister of Japan's Justice Affairs Ministry Administrative, Koichi Aoboshi, director general of Japanese Foreign Ministry's Consular Affairs Bureau, and Rabab Fatima, Bangladesh's  ambassador to Japan, were also present.

Nomita said Bangladeshi youths can get training and work in 77 occupations in Japan now.

At present, Bangladeshis can have training and work in 30 occupations. Yearly recruitment of Bangladeshi interns in Japan is around 150 now, said Officials of the Bureau of Manpower Employment and Training (BMET).

Technical interns can work and have training for three to five years in Japan based on their performance. Once they return home, they can utilise the know-how back in the country, said Nomita in a statement issued by the expatriates' welfare ministry.

Japan has shortage of workforce in construction, manufacturing, garment, agriculture, food processing and care giving sectors and Bangladesh can take advantage of this shortage, she said.

Dr Nurul Islam, director at the BMET, told The Daily Star that the technical interns would require four-month training on Japanese language after they get selected by Japanese companies.

And, those companies will bear all the cost, he added.