Technical Intern Trainees from Cambodia to Japan: Exploring the Trainees' Expectations and Intentions to Go to Japan

Background and Purpose: As the fastest population-declining and aging country, Japan encounters a serious shortage of low-skilled labor force. In 1993, Japanese government created the Technical Intern Training Program to transfer knowledge and skills to technical intern trainees (referred to as trainees) from developing countries. In this fixed-term, on-site internship in Japan, trainees are expected to acquire skills and contribute to the development of their home country upon their return. However, the purpose of this program is not fully understood. Many trainees are treated as low-wage workers and exploited on adverse work conditions. Violations of labor laws and human rights have triggered their disappearance from training sites.

Social workers in Japan are not trained to work with immigrants. As Japan expects more immigrants, it is significant for social workers to develop capacity to assist them. This research studies Cambodian trainees scheduled to start an internship in Japan in a few months and their expectations and readiness as interns. The study explores how the trainees selected Japan as their destination, how well the skills they will acquire in Japan match their future plans, and how well prepared they are to be an intern in Japan. Implications for social work in Japan are derived.

Methods: Two semi-structured focus groups were conducted in Phnom Penh, Cambodia in June 2024. Each session was participated by 5 trainees who will be dispatched to Japan in a few months. The participants (4 women and 6 men; ages 18-33) were recruited by a pre-entry training institute in Cambodia. The interviews were translated by a Cambodian translator and transcribed for open, axial, and selective coding. The qualitative analysis was guided by an ethnographic approach.

Results: Reasons given for selecting Japan as a destination country included the country’s security and order, high wages, beauty, and the fact that it is a donor country. Consistent with the literature, qualitative data revealed mismatch between the skills they will acquire in Japan and their future plan after returning to Cambodia. Out of 10 participants, only one is assigned to the training site where she can acquire the skills she wants (textile). Mismatch is clear for all other participants (e.g. a trainee planning to open a convenience store is assigned to construction industry). The focus groups were to be conducted in easy-to-understand Japanese; however, no one could communicate in Japanese. This indicates that their readiness to work as an intern is not sufficient.

Conclusions and Implications: This research confirms that the original purpose of the Technical Intern Training Program, which is to develop human resources in developing countries, is not fully achieved. Trainees rush to go to Japan to earn money and the host training organizations rush to secure workers. Social workers can play a significant role in post-entry trainings to enhance trainees’ life skills and help their acculturation process. They can also act as a liaison between trainees and host training organizations to prevent troubles between them. Above all, it is imperative to develop social work curriculum that includes support for immigrants.