JITCO scheme fails to take off (Kantipur Daily)
KATHMANDU, JUN 11 – Nepali agencies entrusted with sending industrial trainees under the Japan International Training Cooperation Organization (JITCO) programme have failed to receive requests on the scale anticipated due to lack of proper marketing of Nepal’s capacity and effective communication with Japanese firms.
There are 172 agencies including the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce (FNCCI) authorised to send trainees to Japan, but they have been able to send only 16 trainees so far. The FNCCI has sent 11 and Siddhartha Buddha Overseas five, said the Department of Foreign Employment.
“Global Alliance has received a request for some 20 trainees and Fusion International for six,” said Mohan Krishna Sapkota, director general of the department. “Nepali agencies could not do their marketing well in Japan amid the financial crisis.”
Tilak Ranabhat, former president of the Nepal Association of Foreign Employment Agencies and managing director of Noor Opportunities Overseas, said that the agencies were not able to receive good demand from Japanese firms because of the impact of the global financial crisis.
“The Japanese firms themselves are not confident enough to hire trainees after the impact of the financial crisis,” he added.
The FNCCI, which had targeted to send 500 trainees in 2010, is in the process of sending 36 to work in the agriculture sector. It has selected 20 women and 16 men who have completed their culture and language training.
According to Sthaneshwor Devkota, executive director of the Foreign Employment Promotion Board, the main reason behind the failure in bagging requests is lack of effective communication with Japanese firms by the Nepali agencies.
“JITCO had said that Nepal could supply around 20,000 trainees during 2010, but Nepali agencies have not been able to grab the opportunity,” said Devkota. “Even though the process is a little complicated according to JITCO officials, it could be the best chance for Nepal as Japan is gradually lessening its dependency on Chinese workers.”
China supplies 80 percent of the 50,000 workers taken in by Japanese firms annually. Japan has also put Nepal, Bangladesh and Mongolia as its prioritised source destinations targeting to reduce its dependence on China.
The JITCO programme offers industrial training and internship to Nepali workers in 64 occupations and 120 courses as per the bilateral agreement made in October 2009.
The trainees can earn a monthly allowance of Rs. 35,000-40,000. After completing one year of traineeship, they can earn more than Rs. 100,000 per month as an intern.
The FNCCI had sent the very first batch of six trainees last year to the garment sector.
Source: Kantipur Daily
