JITCO

Case 6: Community Involvement Promotes Advanced Level Proficiency
(Nango, Miyazaki)

The town of Nango in Miyazaki prefecture strives to adapt to the new fashions of the 21st century. As a part of their effort to create a town that is open and warm, the development of human resources in wide and international perspectives is continuing through active exchanges with other communities. Since 1990, the town has been working with Coordinators of International Relations who continue to conduct cultural exchanges within the community in various fields. For its international cooperation, the city accepts fishery trainees from Asian countries through the Industrial Training and Technical Internship Programs. Those trainees and interns experience hands-on training on a ship for three years.

At the Nango Town Hall Department of Industrial and Economic Affairs, the manager Mr. Tanaka, and the section manager Mr. Suzuki explain, "Nango began accepting trainees in 1993. So far, the town has hosted 663 trainees and interns, mainly from Indonesia. Currently there are 49 trainees and 86 technical interns actively learning skills such as single hook bonito fishing.


"The three local fisheries cooperatives, Nango, Sakaematsu, and Tonoura, organized a joint committee in order to help improve interns' skills. With the ship owners' consent, the committee supports those who are interested in taking the advanced-level proficiency tests. This year, 8 interns will engage in single hook bonito fishing and 2 of will engage in fixed netting. This is our second year, and the opportunity has raised awareness of not only those who are taking the test, but also those who aren't."

[The Role of the Advanced-Level Proficiency Test]
The Industrial Training and Technical Internship Training Programs aim to develop international human resources by passing on Japanese professional skills and techniques to international workers, who in turn contribute to the development of their home countries. The advanced-level proficiency is a test to verify the mastery of these higher skills and technical standards instructed through the internship programs in Japan. For jobs requiring technical skills, there are the Basic 1 and the Provisional 3 levels, and for the JITCO accredited Assessment System Test, there are the Intermediate and Expert levels.

"The Miyazaki Higher Fisheries Research Institute has been helpful in creating a learning environment supportive of the acquisition of more specialize skills. We hope they learn the best of Japanese skills through taking the advanced-level proficiency test, and then that they utilize their experiences back in their home country. We are searching for ways to increase the number of candidates so eventually all interns will want to take the test."

[Original Word Lists Developed by the Fishery Cooperatives]

[The Ship Owner's Instruction on Fixed Netting]

In Japan, Miyazaki is known as having the nation's largest number of catches for single hook bonito fishing in home waters, and other organizations in Miyazaki follow the procedures used in Nango in teaching fishery skills and techniques to trainees and interns.

At the Nango Fishery Cooperative, the chairman Mr. Iwakiri and the manager Mr. Shimemura explained, "The town, the fishery cooperative, and the ship owner's associations jointly run the committee and has adopted strong leadership to propel the training programs forward. When the Japan Fisheries Associations invited us for the advanced-level proficiency test, we went back to the committee to discuss it. We came to a unanimous agreement to support the interns for it as a part of their learning process."

"It is not easy to pass the advanced-level proficiency test as the required level for passing is very high and strict. The cooperative facilitates the situation by developing original bilingual word lists, and also asking the ship owners to pair interns up with the Japanese crew during the safety check for better understanding. In addition, the Miyazaki Higher Fisheries Research Institute has donated the use of high-tech equipment to the trainees such as simulators, so that the interns can learn these advanced skills that could make an immediate impact in their country.

[At the Boat Fishing Intermediate-level Test (Single Hook Bonito Fishing)]

[Relieved after the Test!]

The candidates, feeling relaxed after the test, talked about their lives and training: "The senior interns and the ship owners are very strict with their work, but I understand that it comes from working in a potentially dangerous environment that could take people's lives away. I make sure I ask questions when things are not clear to me, and everyone helps me willingly. They can be scary when I make mistakes!"

"The senior interns taught me about the boat and how to weave the net. The test was tough, but I studied the book with my boss during the safety check."

The interns learn the latest fishery skills through their training in Japan. They shared their aspirations: "Once I go back to Indonesia, I would like to buy my own boat. I want to use the skills I have learned here and perform the single hook bonito fishing in Ambon!"

"Japanese fixed netting skills are very advanced. From the ship owner, I learned many things that I never learned at the fishery schools back home. When I go back, I want to be a teacher in my fishery school and teach the younger generations the skills I have learned here."

Mr. Sekiya, the manager of the Miyazaki Higher Fisheries Research Institute, explained, "This institute was founded in 1939 as the Miyazaki Fisheries Training Center and has supported the development of local fisheries in Miyazaki. Since 1994, we've been supporting accepting organizations, Nango and the Fisheries Cooperative. We have also been providing training for interns on deep-sea boat maneuvering, fisheries engine operations and fishery skills. The Institute provides training on boats every year at the beginning of the training program. We collaborate extensively with the contact person from the Fisheries Cooperative and we plan on what to include in the curriculum. Experiencing the world's most advanced techniques here in Japan will have a big impact on Indonesian trainees."

[Classroom Instruction at Higher Fishery Research Institute]

[Skills Training (Making Glass Ball Net)]

The project general manager Mr. Kanaya is directly involved in the training, and commented, "The trainees are graduates from the fishery schools in Indonesia, and they have experience with fishing boats, and they of course have the basic knowledge of deep-sea fishing. We focus on teaching technical words correctly and early on in the training. A small mistake caused by a communication error could lead to a big accident. Also, communicating with the bosses is so essential."

"Indonesian trainees are courteous, serious, and positive, which is an attitude that Japanese trainees don't seem to possess. The institute also takes in young Japanese students who are often inspired by the trainees. I always challenge the Japanese students to keep up with the Indonesian trainees," said Mr. Kanaya, with his tanned face beaming.

Mr. Kinoue is the deputy manager at the Japan Fisheries Association, the organization that conducts the advanced-level proficiency test. He provided his insight by saying, "The Japan Fisheries Association supports affiliated Fisheries Cooperatives with the advanced-level proficiency test. This system could be a tool for the interns to study the more advanced fishery skills performed in Japan. The town of Nango and the city of Nichinan are areas with more organized training support systems in both primary and secondary accepting organizations, and they responded to our invitation. We received their first successful candidates last December, and this is their second attempt.

"The association sees the advanced-level proficient test as an effective tool to achieve advanced skills transfer. By challenging themselves to pass the higher level, the interns' skills acquisition process moves forward faster. We hope to see our international contribution take form through the highly skilled interns' successful careers back in their home countries.

"It is impossible to miss the advantage given to the area by the Miyazaki Higher Fisheries Research Institute. The institute utilizes the know-how gained through their Japanese training program, and contributes efficiently and effectively to both skills transfer and human resources development."

Nango adheres to the Industrial Training and Technical Internship Programs' purpose by mobilizing the whole community to support their trainees and interns, which also activates local business. The interns and the trainees learn diligently from the well-experienced training instructors and acquire skills through on-the-job training, which strengthens their foundation for achieving their financial and professional goals. This system proves to work both ways beautifully!