As many as 151 Vietnamese nurses and orderlies are joining thetwo-month Japanese language training programme that opened on May 29 atthe Makuhari International Training Centre in Japan’s easternprefecture of Chiba.

This is the second groupof Vietnamese nurses and orderlies to learn technical terms andessential conversation skills at the ARC Academy – a Japaneselanguage school from June 1 to July 25.

As part ofthe economic partnership agreements (EPA) between Vietnam and Japan, theprogramme has opened up the two countries’ cooperation in taking careof patients and the elderly at hospitals and sanatoriums in Japan, saidCouncellor of labour department at the Vietnamese Embassy in JapanNguyen Gia Liem.

After that, the Japan InternationalCorporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS) will provide the traineeswith professional knowledge before starting work at Japanese healthfacilities from August 6.

Before arriving in Japan, all the Vietnamese trainees already had certificates andparticipated in the two-year Japanese language course at home.

Takashi Tsunoda, a representative from the JICWELS, said the traineeswill be provided with how to use computers and medical equipment inpreparation for the national certificates exam – which ensures theirstay in Japan in the long run.

According toShigemi Ando from the Southeast and Southwest Asian Affairs Departmentunder the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the training and hostingof Vietnamese nurses and orderlies are very important due to Japan’s rapidly aging population.

It is estimated that Japan will need up to 600,000 nurses and orderlies to take care of its elderly in ten years.

Vietnam is the third country to cooperate with Japan in this field, after the Philippines and Indonesia.

Last year, 138 Vietnamese nurses and caregivers received similar training in Japan.-VNA