Japan allows Filipino interns to work in hotels and nursing care industries.
FILIPINO INTERNS- Students from five participating universities in the Philippines will be permitted to work as interns in Japan to address shortages of labor in certain industries in Okinawa.
Based on a report from ABS-CBN News, the internship program offered by Japan is also targeted at recruiting more Filipinos to work in Okinawa in the years to come.
In the recent years, the Okinawa prefecture has become an increasingly popular destination for tourists around the world, primarily from China and Japan’s neighboring countries in Southeast Asia. The island’s economy is primarily driven by its rich tourism.
By the end of the year 2018, a total of approximately 100 Filipino interns are predicted to start internships in the said Japanese prefecture. The first batch of students are expected to work mainly in hotels and nursing care industries beginning next month but the possibility of the inclusion of other industries is also anticipated.
Mentioned in the report, groups supporting foreign labor force in Okinawa and five prestigious universities in the Philippines sealed the internship scheme in a contract.
Among the schools that take part in the deal are Mapua University, Jose Rizal University, Philippine Women’s University, and University of the East and Lyceum of the Philippines University.
An Okinawa-based official of the secretariat of the Cooperative for Foreign Nationals working in nursing care services said that Filipino employees are extremely in-demand in the aforesaid fields as they are skilled in speaking the English language and are naturally hospitable.
“I hope they will consider Okinawa as a career choice after internship,” the official said.
The negotiators between the five cited universities and the hotel and nursing care industries in Okinawa will reportedly be the cooperative for Foreign Nationals working in nursing care industries and the support for foreign nationals including those of Japanese descent. Both brokers are based in the Okinawa capital Naha.
