Five ministries including Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology are working to get Bangladesh enlisted in the list of countries from where Japan is taking skilled manpower.
Japan is looking for skilled workers of 14 categories so Bangladesh can reap the benefits of this by creating skilled labor force through effective training, said Agekke Group Executive President Ayumu Takahashi. He said this during a courtesy meeting with Minister of Post and Telecommunications Mustafa Jabbar.
Minister Mustafa Jabbar said that it is possible for us to create skilled labour force eligible for each of the 14 categories according to Japan’s requirements. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government is consistent in taking steps to ensure training for the creation of skilled labor force. He further added that the Telecom Training Institute and the four Postal Academies under the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology can be used to conduct the training.
He added that Japan is an old friend of Bangladesh. Bangladeshi workers are attracted to the exemplary lifestyle and mannerisms of the Japanese people. Japan is an outstanding workplace for them. There are 65 labs which teach Japanese and 9 other languages. It is our responsibility to create a skilled workforce.
While talking to Bangladesh Post, Minister Mustafa Jabbar said, “Bangladesh government is eager to create job opportunities abroad for skilled Bangladeshi workers and the government is working to that end. Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs along with other ministries is working diligently to fulfill that. Already the representative of Japanese businesses has been contacted.”
He added, "This is the first time that the Post and Telecommunication Ministry has undertaken the endeavor to train skilled workers especially in the categories ICT, telecommunication, construction and others to send them to Japan. The people of Bangladesh will get the opportunity to work there but if they are not skilled enough they won’t be able to survive there. The proficiency in Japanese language will play a big role in it.”
Regarding the number of Bangladeshi workers in Japan, he said, “To my knowledge there are around 2-3 hundred Bangladeshi workers in Japan at the moment.”
When asked about Bangladesh not being in the list of countries, he told Bangladesh Post, “The Post and Telecommunication Ministry is working with Japanese embassy to get Bangladesh added to the list of countries from where Japan is acquiring the huge number of skilled workers. We hope that it will be achieved within seven days. When Japan released the list of countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh was unaware of it.”
An official of the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment, unwilling to disclose his name told Bangladesh Post, “The position of Bangladesh had grown weak internationally due to the inefficiency of the previous governments. The present government is working to come out of that situation and will export skilled manpower overseas.”
He added that “Ministry of Labor and Employment along with Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment and three other ministries are working for this purpose.”
Ayumu Takahashi said that Japan needs more than 3 lakh 40 thousand workers as care workers, building cleaning management, in machine parts and tooling industry, automobile repair industry, aviation industry, accommodation industry, agriculture, fisheries, food and beverage and food services industry.
These workers will be selected from 9 different countries by 9 licensed Japanese organizations. Currently, Bangladesh is not included in the list, but the Japanese government is taking urgent steps to include Bangladesh in it.
