Successive governments have failed to grasp the opportunity to send technical interns to Japan even after an agreement was signed between the two countries.
Bangladesh and Japan signed the agreement in 2005. Over the past eight years only 41 migrant workers have been sent to Japan.
As per the agreement, technical interns from Bangladesh would be sent under the arrangement of the Japan International Training Cooperation Organisation (Jitco).
The Jitco contributes to human resource development in the developing countries by providing support to technical interns with training after their entry into Japan.
Under the agreement Bangladeshi workers can work in Japan for three years during which they can each earn at least 3 to 6 times more than what a Bangladeshi worker gets in the Middle Eastern countries and return home with world-class training and experience.
According to the officials of the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), only 41 workers have so far gone to Japan since the agreement with Japan.
A high official of the expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment ministry said at the beginning only BMET was entitled to send workers but the government organisation could send only 12 workers.
Following the failure of BMET, Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL) and 20 private recruiting agencies were given licenses at the end of 2010, said BMET officials adding that two agencies have withdrawn their licenses. The private recruiting agencies have sent only 29 migrant workers to Japan, BMET officials said.
The BMET has a selection committee headed by its additional director general (training).
The other members of the committee are representatives from the Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment Ministry, Japan-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, recruiting agencies concerned, Japan Accepting Organisation, an assistant director and a director of the BMET.
The officials also said there is huge demand for Bangladeshi workers in small industries in Japan. But the potential market could not be tapped due to language barrier, the officials said.
Recruiting agencies say it is very difficult to prepare workers by teaching them Japanese language before they are sent there.
They also alleged a section of expatriate Bangladeshis in Japan misguided the Japanese employers saying that would supply workers free of cost.
“Not only that, they also take money from the workers in Bangladesh,” Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury (Kiron) told the Dhaka Tribune over phone on Sunday.
Hasan, who has a license (Merit Trade International) to send workers to Japan, pointed out that going there involves a long administrative procedures.
Abdul Hye, proprietor of the Green Land Overseas, said: “The authorities concerned do not cooperate in sending technical interns to Japan.”
JBCCI Secretary General AKM Moazeem Hussain said Bangladesh could not avail the opportunity as the workers were not prepared in the way the Japanese government wants.
He said Japan wants technically fit people who knows Japanese language.
“Bangladesh could not seize the opportunity as workers were not selected properly,” the secretary general said over phone on Thursday.
A high official of the expatriates’ welfare ministry said some technical interns were selected, but when the Japan embassy investigated it, they found that the selected person did not work in the company, he (the selected worker) had mentioned in the application.
The BMET, which looks after the overseas jobs, Director General Begum Shamsun Nahar told the Dhaka Tribune that there were huge demands for workers in small enterprises in Japan.
BMET DG said the Japan embassy in Bangladesh interviews workers and refuses to issue visas as they find the workers do not know Japanese language.
