Requirements Regarding 'Care Worker' Occupations in Technical Intern Training

In conjunction with enforcement of the new Technical Intern Training Act, 'Care Worker' occupations were added to the occupations subject to transfer under the Technical Intern Training Program. For details, please refer to the Organization for Technical Intern Training’s “Caregiving Standards.”

Caregiving Standards (in Japanese only)

This page contains an explanation and overview of the conditions required for implementation of technical intern training in 'Care Worker' occupations.

1Fundamental Approach Regarding the Addition of Long-term Care Occupations

The requirements for accepting technical intern trainees in 'Care Worker' occupations were established in accordance with the proposals set forth in the February 4, 2015 Interim Summary of the Investigation Conference on Optimal Foreign Care Workers Acceptance.

Interim Summary of the Investigation Conference on Optimal Foreign Care Workers Acceptance

The fundamental approach of the report is to design a system that can respond to the following three requirements so that the various concerns regarding the addition of 'Care Worker' occupations can be addressed.

• 1.Ensure that 'Care Worker' does not acquire an image that it is simple work that can be performed by foreign workers.
• 2.Ensure treatment of foreign workers equal to that of Japanese workers and ensure that efforts to improve the treatment and working conditions of Japanese workers are not impaired.
• 3.Ensure the quality of 'Care Worker' services and take measures to prevent insecurity in the part of service users.

To respond to these three requirements, general requirements were established through measures regarding the Technical Intern Training Program as well as requirements unique to 'Care Worker' occupations.
When technical intern trainees are accepted to 'Care Worker' occupations, in addition to the general requirements of the Technical Intern Training Program, it is necessary to satisfy the requirements unique to 'Care Worker' occupations. A summary of general requirements of the Technical Intern Training Program is provided in the Overview of the Technical Intern Training Program below.

Overview of the Technical Intern Training Program

The main requirements unique to 'Care Worker' occupations are explained starting on the following section.

2Requirements Relating to Technical Intern Trainees

• I.Japanese Language Ability Requirement

When conducting technical intern training in a 'Care Worker' occupation, it is necessary the technical intern trainees have at least a certain level of Japanese language ability to ensure that they have the ability to communicate with technical intern training instructors who give guidance on skill acquisition, users of 'Care Worker' facilities, and others. Accordingly, technical intern trainees (i) and (ii) must satisfy the following requirements concerning Japanese language ability.

• *“Persons determined to have equivalent or higher capabilities” refers to persons who have passed a test that evaluates Japanese language capabilities with a clear relationship of correspondence to the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test (currently, the only approved tests are the “J.TEST of Practical Japanese” and the “Japanese Language NAT-TEST)” at a level equivalent to or higher than the above levels.

When applying for accreditation of a technical intern training plan for technical intern trainees (i) and (ii), it is necessary to submit a transcript or other comparable document for the above tests. In some instances, there are limited opportunities for technical intern trainees to take the Japanese -Language Proficiency Test and other tests in their home countries, and it is recommended that the test dates and other information for each test be confirmed and that preparations be made with adequate time in the schedule.

• II.Work Experience in an Equivalent Occupation (Work Experience Requirement)

In the case of supervising organization type technical intern training, technical intern trainees must have “experience working in a foreign country in the same type of work that the trainee seeks to perform in Japan (equivalent work experience, referred to as the work history requirement)” or have “special circumstances that require working in supervising organization type technical intern training.”
In the case of 'Care Worker' occupations, the following persons, for example, satisfy the equivalent work experience requirement (work history requirement).

• ・A person who has experience in a foreign country working in a 'Care Worker' facility for the elderly or disabled persons, or in homes and so on, performing day-to-day care, functional training, or medical care and so on for the elderly or disabled persons
• ・A person who completed a nursing course or has nursing qualifications in a foreign country
• ・A person who received nursing certification or the like from the government of a foreign country

3Requirements Regarding Implementing Organizations

• I.Technical Intern Training Instructors

Technical intern training instructors in 'Care Worker' occupations must satisfy the following requirements.

• ・At least one technical intern training instructor has care worker qualifications or is determined to have at least equivalent specialized knowledge and skills (*a nurse, etc.).
• ・At least one technical intern training instructor is appointed for every five technical intern trainees.

General requirements of the Technical Intern Training Program does not set any particular standards regarding the number of technical intern training instructors appointed according to the number of technical intern trainees (although it is necessary to appoint at least one technical intern training instructor to each business site); in the case of 'Care Worker' occupations, it is necessary that at least one technical intern training instructor be appointed for every five technical intern trainees. For example, in the case where there are ten technical intern trainees employed at a business site, there must be at least two technical intern training instructors appointed to that site.

• II.Business Site Structures

Business sites where technical intern training is to be performed must satisfy the following conditions.

• ・The business site where the technical intern training is to be conducted engages in 'Care Worker' and other such business (excluding business for the provision of services at users’ homes).
• ・The business site with the technical intern training is to be conducted opened at least three years ago.
• ・In the case where operations are to be conducted with technical intern trainees working at night, or with a small number of persons or operations that may require emergency responses, measures necessary to ensure the safety of users have been taken.

Home-visit based services such as home-visit long-term care are not eligible for technical intern training because of the difficulty establishing appropriate guidance systems and for other reasons. In addition, when technical intern trainees perform work, long-term care personnel other than technical intern trainees must also be assigned to work at the same time to the extent necessary to provide guidance, regardless of whether it is during the day or at night, and other measures necessary to ensure the safety of users must be taken.

• III.Technical Intern Trainee Quotas

Technical intern trainee quotas are set for each business site according to the number of full-time employees who will be engaged primarily in 'Care Worker' and other similar work (“full-time care workers”). Note that personnel who do not engage primarily in 'Care Worker' and other similar work may not be included in the number of personnel that serves as the basis for calculating the quota, even if they work full time.
Also, the total number of technical intern trainees may not exceed the total number of Fulltime Care Workers at the site. The specific quotas are as set forth below.

• ■In the case of supervising-organization-type

• ■In the case of Individual-enterprise-type

• *In the case of individual enterprise type technical intern training recognized by the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare to have the structures necessary for continuous and stable training, the quotas are the same as those for supervising organization type technical intern training.

4Requirements Regarding the Details of Technical Intern Training

• I.Post-entry Lectures

After entry into Japan, technical intern trainees are required to take courses for a certain period concerning (i) Japanese language, (ii) general knowledge concerning life in Japan, (iii) information necessary for legal protection of technical intern trainees, and (iv) knowledge that will contribute to the efficient acquisition of Skills, etc.
In the case of 'Care Worker' occupations, standards have been established regarding the educational content and number of hours for two subjects: Japanese language and knowledge that will contribute to the efficient acquisition of Skills, etc. Certain requirements have also been established with regard to the instructors of these subjects.

• II.Japanese language

Educational content and number of hours

For 'Care Worker' occupations, the total number of hours of post-entry lectures on Japanese language must be at least 240. Details of the educational content and the number of hours for each topic are indicated in the table below.

• *The number of hours for each education topic in the Japanese language subject is set using the above as criteria. Figures in parentheses are the minimum required numbers of hours.

Technical intern trainees at N3 level or higher Japanese-Language Proficiency Test or equivalent prior to entry into Japan may take a total of 80 or more hours of lectures on pronunciation, conversation, writing, and Japanese language for 'Care Worker' of the topics indicated above.

Instructors

Japanese language instructors must be persons who fall under any one of the following.

• ・Persons who graduated from or completed a Japanese language educational program at a university or graduate school
• ・Persons who took at least 26 credits of courses relating to Japanese language education and graduated from or completed a university or graduate school
• ・Persons who passed the Japanese Language Teaching Competency Test
• ・Persons who have a master’s degree and completed training relating to Japanese language education determined to be appropriate
• ・Persons who graduated from or completed a Japanese language educational program at a foreign university or graduate school
• ・Persons who have a master’s degree, have at least one year work experience as a Japanese language instructor at a Japanese language educational institution on the day no more than three years from the day of application for certification of the technical intern training plan, and are currently a Japanese language instructor at a Japanese language educational institution

• III.Introductory 'Care Worker' Lectures

It is necessary to establish a program for learning fundamental matters relating to 'Care Worker' as the post-entry lecture regarding “knowledge that will contribute to the efficient acquisition of Skills, etc.” in 'Care Worker' occupations. This course is referred to as an Introductory Long-term Care Course, and a total of at least 42 hours of instruction are required. The educational content and the number of hours regarding the Introductory 'Care Worker' Course are set forth in the table below.

Educational Content and Number of Hours

Instructors

Instructors of the Introductory 'Care Worker' Course must be persons who fall under any one of the following.

• ・Persons with experience giving lectures on the areas of long-term care as faculty members of certified care worker and welfare facilities
• ・Persons with experience giving lectures on day-to-day living skill techniques and so on as faculty members of welfare-training high schools
• ・Persons with experience giving lectures on day-to-day living skill techniques and so on as trainers of practical training
• ・Persons with experience giving lectures on day-to-day living skill techniques and so on as trainers of initial training
• ・Persons with experience giving lectures on day-to-day living skill techniques and so on as special high school faculty members

• IV.Reduction of Post-Entry Lecture Hours

One of the general requirements of the Technical Intern Training Program is that the number of hours of post-entry lectures equal at least one-sixth of the total planned number of hours of technical intern training (i), but in the case where pre-entry lectures are attended for at least one month and for at least 160 hours, the number of hours of post-entry lectures may be reduced to one-twelfth of the total planned number of hours of technical intern training (if, for instance, one year of technical intern training (i) is planned, normally post-entry lectures must be conducted for at least two months, but if pre-entry lectures that satisfy the requirements are conducted, the post-entry lectures may be reduced to at least one month).
As explained above in (2) and (3), in the case of 'Care Worker' occupations, at least 240 hours of Japanese language instruction (at least 80 hours in the case of technical intern trainees who have passed the N3 or higher Japanese-Language Proficiency Test or equivalent) and at least 42 hours of Introductory 'Care Worker' Course lectures are required, but in the case where pre-entry lectures are attended for at least one-half the number of specified hours in each subject, the number of hours of post-entry lectures may be reduced by up to one-half (the number of lectures may be reduced only by the number of hours for which lectures were attended in each educational topic).
However, in cases where the number of hours of post-entry lectures is reduced, it is necessary that the educational content and instructors of the pre-entry lectures satisfy the same requirements as those for the post-entry lectures (see (2) and (3) above).
In the case of pre-entry Japanese language lectures, persons who graduated from a foreign university or graduate school, have at least one year of experience as a Japanese language instructor in a foreign country within three years from the day of application for accreditation of the technical intern training plan, and are currently employed as a Japanese language instructor, may serve as instructors.

5Requirements Regarding Supervising Organizations

• I.Legal Structure of Supervising Organizations

In cases where technical intern trainees are accepted for supervising organization type technical intern training in 'Care Worker' occupations, the supervising organization must be a corporate body that falls under any one of the following.

• ・Chamber of commerce and industry, chamber of trade, small business association, vocational training corporation, public interest incorporated association, or public interest incorporated foundation (in the case of a chamber of commerce and industry, chamber trade, or small business association, limited to cases where the 'Care Worker' occupation implementing organization subject to supervision of training is a member of the relevant organization).
• ・An organization (including its branch offices) made up of business operators engaged in nationwide health care or long-term care that includes contributing to the development of long-term care business among its business purposes.

• II.Guidance on Preparation of Technical Intern Training Plans

When preparing technical intern training plans, it is necessary to prepare detailed plans for each subject matter that will be subject to a transfer of skills. The screening standards for nursing occupation technical intern training plans and model plans are posted on the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare website.

Technical Intern Training Plan Screening Criteria and Model Plans (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Website)

In the case of 'Care Worker' occupations, guidance regarding the preparation of technical intern training plans must be provided by a person with a certain level of specialization such as a licensed care worker or nurse from the perspective of enabling the appropriate and effective acquisition of Skills, etc.
Accordingly, supervising organizations must have a licensed care worker (*nurse, etc.) with at least five years of experience in a long-term care occupation.
Technical intern training evaluation examination for 'Care Worker' occupations are administered by the Elderly Service Providers Association.

Elderly Service Providers Association website

• III.Excellent Supervising Organizations

Determinations regarding whether supervision of training of technical intern trainees (iii) in 'Care Worker' occupations and increasing quotas for the number of technical intern trainees may be accepted are made based on performance in 'Care Worker' occupations. This is referred to as the excellence requirement in 'Care Worker' occupations.
Under excellence requirement in 'Care Worker' occupations, a supervising organization that scores at least 60% of a full score (80 points) under the table below satisfies the requirements for an excellent supervising organization in 'Care Worker' occupations. Please note, however, that it is necessary for the supervising organization to satisfy the requirements for an excellent supervising organization that are common to all occupations (for information regarding the excellence requirements for all occupations under the Technical Intern Training Program, the pages 11 to 13 of the Explanation of the New Technical Intern Training Program issued by the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare).

About the New Technical Intern Training Program

• ■Requirements for excellent supervising organizations in 'Care Worker' occupations