On July 25, 2012, Mrs. Chantana Boonart, Minister Counsellor (Labour Affairs) of Office Labour Affairs in Japan, was invited to give advice and educate the 24th batch (24-04) of 21 Thai trainees, who travel to Japan to receive training at IM Japan member companies, in Chiba Prefecture’s Motoyawata city, Tokyo‘s suburban area. Mrs. Malee Wadah, assistance for oversea employment promotion, also attended the event.
The Thai trainees, all men, arrived in Japan on June 12, 2012. They will have to train at IM Japan Training Center for one month before they can receive training at IM Japan member companies from August 8, 2012.
More than half of the Thai trainees met with the minister counsellor and Mrs. Malee in Thailand in December 2011, when they sit a selection test. The minister counselor, then, introduced herself to the trainees, gave them advice, and boosted their morale before they travelled to Japan. So they are familiar with each other.
This whole process from the selection test, to the Japan trip, helps Office of Labour Affairs in Japan boost relationships with Thai trainees. Thai trainees also receive essential information about training in Japan and aware that staffs at Office of Labour Affairs in Japan are people who they can rely on when they have problem. It also helps create a network among trainees, which will, in turn, help reduce their problems.
At the event, Office of Labour Affairs in Japan told the trainees that during their three-year training, they would have an opportunity to earn more than 100 thousand baht, to absorb disciplines and Japanese working styles, and to experience working in a country with advanced technology.
They (trainees) will experience hard work and strict discipline as Japanese are responsible people and serious about work. They (trainees) have to adapt and behave like them. So, once, they complete their training, the will then become quality personnel, who will be wanted in Thai labour market, where many big Japanese companies situate. If they have some saving, they will also have opportunities to choose other career paths such as running a self-own business, said Office of Labour Affairs in Japan, pointing out that more than 1,000 Indonesian trainees succeed in running their own business. This is also in line with the objectives of IM Japan.
Office of Labour Affairs in Japan also stressed that the trainees must also pay attention to their Japanese, apart from working. Japanese is essential skill, which can help them find a job, once they return to Thailand. Many of their seniors, who passed high level Japanese test, have successful career after they return to Thailand.
Mrs. Malee also pointed out the Japanese test, which took place in December, 2011, in which Thai trainees performed worst than trainees from Indonesia and Vietnam, whom they used to far more superior in term of Japanese skill. This is a worrying sign, she said, noting that she hopes that all the trainees practice their Japanese skill herders and pass the level 3 test before they return to Thailand.
Mrs. Malee, meanwhile, advised the trainees to be economized, saying trainees from previous batches could saved more than one million baht during their three-year training in Japan, the amount that would normally take them 10 years to save in Thailand. They, therefore, should set their targets and achieve them.
She also told the trainees about essential labour laws, over time (OT) work, holiday rights, OT calculation, and OT payment, which are more complex than in Thailand; so they clearly understand about work regulations in Japan. All the trainees were also given Office of Labour Affairs in Japan’s business card and its hotline number as well as handbook about working and living in Japan. Office of Labour Affairs in Japan will seek for opportunities to visit them after they get to train at a company.
