Though Nepali manpower agencies had managed to bring in demands for 311 workers for industrial training and internship, only one agency -- Shiddartha Buddha Manpower -- has become successful in sending 10 workers to Japan so far. The company sent six male and four female workers against the demand for 11 workers.[break]
“Twelve agencies had managed to bring demand for 214 male and 97 female workers,” Kashinath Marasini, director of Department of Foreign Employment (DoFE), informed Republica.
The agencies involved in sending interns to Japan complained that lengthy sending process, lack of skilled workers, poor language skills and absence of effective marketing exercise by the agencies were the major factors behind the slow pace of sending process.
“It requires at least six months to complete all the formalities. We are also not getting skilled hands for the jobs offered by the Japanese employers,” Kumud Khanal, general secretary of Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies (NAFEA), told Republica on Wednesday.
Khanal, who is also the managing director of Fusion International that has brought demands for demands for 20 workers, said poor language skills among the aspirants was another reason behind the slow pace in sending process. “Not only they lack skill required for the jobs, their language skills is poor. Good command of Japanese language is one of the major qualifications required to get internship and training opportunity in Japanese enterprises,” he added.
He also said the service charge of Rs 50,000 fixed by the government is insufficient for the agencies as employer companies have been refusing to refund airfare of incompetent workers.
Airlines charge around Rs 73,000 for one way trip to Japan.
According to DoFE, most of the demands for Nepali workers are coming from agriculture and ready made garment sectors.
The Ministry of Labor and Transport Management (MoLTM) had released the guidelines on JITCO’s Industrial Training Program and Technical Internship Program in December, 2009. The guidelines had specified the responsibilities of sending agencies and employers in Japan as well as fixed the service charge that agencies can collect from workers.
The government has designated 172 agencies, including Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, to send workers to Japan.
Related story
Bill bars local units from recruiting civil servants
