Polytechnic schools (職業能力開発校, Shokugyō nōryoku kaihatsukō) in Japan are vocational education institutions for short and long term programs, a group of public human resources development facilities under paragraph (1) (i) of Article 15-6 of the Human Resources Development Promotion Law. It involves designated private sector as well.
There are four operators of those MHLW administered vocational training facilities; Cities and municipalities (towns and villages), prefectures, the Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers (JEED) and the state. Types of educational facilities include Polytechnic Schools, Polytechnic Colleges, Polytechnic Universities, Polytechnic Centers, and Polytechnic Schools for Persons with Disabilities. They serve for different groups of people wishing to obtain vocational skills.
Polytechnic Schools admit the youngest group of applicants as graduates of junior high and high schools. General unemployed and employed are studying with them, too. Cities and municipalities run one facility, and there were 156 prefectures operated, both statistics of 2013.[1]
AtPolytechnic Colleges, high school graduates are required to have finished specialized programs before admission, as advanced vocational training is provided. Opeators are both JEED for one college and prefectures for 13 as of 2013.[1]
JEED is the sole operator for Polytechnic Universities, totaled to 10 in 2013. Those universities offer vocational training as "the professional course" for those who have finished advanced special programs, either they are high school graduates or adults. High school graduates are offered 2,800 hours in two-year program. Tuition was JPY390,000 in 2012, on top of the entrance fee of JPY169,200.[2] Those who finished the professional course can apply for "the advanced course", which they will finish in two –years' term, with entrance fee of JPY112,800 on top of tuition of JPY390,000.[2]
There were 61 Polytechnic Centers JEED also operated in 2013, where they admit both unemployed and employed for short-term courses. Junior high and high school graduates gain professional skills in general course, in minimum 2,800 hours in two years, and 1,400 hours in one year. The prefectures budget and designate the fee of enrollment.[2]
Persons with disabilities are admitted to state accredited Polytechnic Schools for Persons with Disabilities, as of 2013 totaled to 13. The operation of two facilities appointed JEED, and prefectures were responsible to run 11. Aside from those 13, prefectures also managed 6 in the same year.[1]
Job placement centers called Hello Work consult unemployed to promote themselves at job interviews and encourage them to apply for short term vocational training, offered by JEED for six month and by prefectures for six-to-12 months.[3] 41,228 trainee admitted to those facilities and short term courses in FY 2012, while average of 80.8% of them were employed by the end of the fiscal year.[3] There are contracted job training institutions, where 3 months' courses are offered to the unemployed without tuition and up to 300 hours of training.[4]
On the other hand, private entities supporting job seekers can install a vocational training facility for such accredited programs, as long as governors of prefectures authorize when such entities fulfill the criteria of ordinance of the Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare in Japan.[9] In that case, with the exception of the restriction of the use of such public facilities names,[10] it is allowed to name such facility a vocational skills development school. Strictly speaking, While some facility is nicknamed polytechnic college but provides Polytechnic School programs, the official name of either Polytec Centerorpolytechnic College is limited to apply for facilities adminited by another JEED vocational training section or Polytechnic Centers (ja:職業能力開発促進センター).[11]
Among the departments of Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW), Human Resources Development Bureau is in charge of vocational training as defined in "The mission, realizing social development through individual skills development" policy in Reference section, the White Paper, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働白書) for the fiscal year 2016 (Heisei 28).[12] The Bureau focused on vocational training programs for human resource to train skills and give knowledge, to answer as well as sustain the manufacturing industry, a leading industry in Japan.[13]
The Bureau also expanded the focus on supplying productive labour forces as defined in『Policy Information—Human Resources Development.』for those markets with expected intensive demands in the care and welfare for elderly and young children, as well as for intelligence technology.[14]
The government of Japan and Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare overviewed the administration of human resources development[15] in "the 8th Basic Plan for Human Resources Development",[16] which was updated to "the 9th Basic Plan for Human Resources Development".[17]
The implement was divided roughly into three categories; "Developing and improvement of vocational abilities," "Vocational ability evaluation and promotion of trade skills" with "International cooperation". The Bureau surveys human resources development measured by fiscal year.[18]
Information on the policy is presented in detail as chapter 6, Structure of Human Resources Development Measures,[19] and seven measures to implement the plan for:[20]
While graduates of vocational schools/colleges will receive graduation certificates, there is not a full system to issue them diploma which both Semmonshi and kōdo-Semmonshi are given as academic degree. In May 1963 when they selected national team to attend the 12th WorldSkills Competition in Ireland (第12回技能五輪国際大会 (Dai 12-kai Ginō gorin kokusai taikai)), the first National Skills Competition of Japan (技能五輪全国大会 (Ginō Gorin zenkoku taikai)) was head in Tokyo by MHLW.[28] The competitors are nominated through local chapters of the Vocational Ability Development Association and other recommenders, who are 23 years old or younger. As of 2017, entrants will compete with their skills in six categories, and the results are hoped to appeal their ability and excellence to those industries for machine, metal working, electronics, construction, service and fashion, and IT.[29]
The competition had been held in Tokyo and Chiba prefecture till 1990, and since 1991 and the 29th competition, Aichi prefecture became the host for the event co-sponsored by the local government and the Japan Vocational Ability Development Association (JAVADA, Chuō Shokugyō Kaihatsu kyōkai (ja:中央職業開発協会)), a Special Civil Corporation under the jurisdiction of Human Resources Development Bureau (MHLW). Later on, the regulation changed to involve other prefectures as the host.[28]
The year before the international competition, the national competition is doubled to top the selection procedures for the national team.[29]
Youth under 20 years of age are eligible to enter two separate national competitions. The first is Youth Competition for Monozukuri (Jakunen monozukuri kyōgi taikai (ja:若年者ものづくり競技大会)), also sponsored by JAVADA since August 2005. The second is open for a student at a technical high school and the upper secondary school, specialized course (ja:専門高等学校 senmon kōtō gakkō) in their own national monozukuri contest for high school students (kōkōsē monozukuri kontesuto zenkoku taikai (高校生ものづくりコンテスト全国大会)), nicknamed Koshien for Work skills (ものづくり甲子園), organized by the National Association of Principals of Technical Senior High Schools (ja:全国工業高等学校長協会) under the jurisdiction of MEXT (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology).[30] Those studying at standard high schools with integrated course (ja:総合学科 sōgō gakka) are also invited to enter at that competition.
For physically handicapped students, they have the Abilympics, or the Ability Olympics (ja:全国障害者技能競技大会 Zenkoku shōgaisha ginō kyōgi taikai) sponsored by the Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers (JEED, Kōrē shōgai kyūshokusha koyō sien kikō (独立行政法人高齢・障害・求職者雇用支援機構)).[31]
There are chances to proceed and participate in the International Abilympics (IA) every four year organized by the International Abilympic Federation.[32]
MHLW sets a policy to "visualize graduates' abilities" with the National Trade Skills Testing System for Shokugyo kaihatsu gakko graduates aiming the manufacturing industry.[14][33] Those aiming at service industries including fashion, hair dressing and curinary business, they will take national tests and receive certificates as a proof of their skills in each profession. Model cases have been sought since 2013,[14] for example sales staff in retail sectors as in major department stores. Another challenge for the MLHW to target is to provide instructors for education services at private preparatory schools, and the scheme was expected to start in the following fiscal years.[14]
To contrast, the doplima system of Japan, or an academic degree, is governed by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, aiming originally to improve the reputation of a vocational school graduate, and to promote lifelong learning. Diploma will be issued to those who had completed a particular specialized course successfully designed for two years' study. A vocational school, or one that Ministry categorises either a『Semmon-gakkō』(専門学校)[notes 2] which means a "professional training college, post-secondary course", and a『Senshū-gakkō』(専修学校), a "specialized training college, general course".[notes 3][36] Sōichi Tanaka, then the head of the Lifelong Learning Policy Bureau (Shōgai gakushū seisaku-kyoku), MEXT, sealed and published the Act 17-349 on 9 September 2005 to Mayors, the heads of Board of Education in each prefecture, as well as the presidents of national universities offering Senshu gakkō (文科生第349号 平成17年9月9日 各都道府県知事, 各都道府県教育委員会, 専修学校を置く各国立大学法人学長殿, 文部科学省 田中壮一郎.).[37][notes 4]
1947 – Employment Security Law was enacted, and vocational training center was defined in Article 27.
1949 – Employment Security Law revised to publicize vocational training centers.
1958 – Employment Security Law (1958) was enacted, and the general vocational training center was defined in Article 5.
1969 – Vocational Training Law was enacted, and the special vocational training school was defined in Article 15. Prefectures of Japan were able to set up advanced vocational training schools as defined in Article 16.
1978 – Vocational Training Law was revised, and special vocational training school and advanced vocational training school was turned into vocational training school as defined in paragraph (1) of Article 14.
1993 – Vocational training school became Polytechnic school defined in Paragraph (i) of Article 15-6 of Human Resources Development Promotion Law.
While there are 166 prefectural polytechnic schools all over Japan,[38] they are named in different format as follows. The majority of those are called "xy college", while there are no regulating laws or regulations for colleges.
There is one municipality administered polytechnic school in 2009 (Heisei 21), Yokohama Central Polytechnic School in Yokohama City, Kanagawa prefecture.[59]
Accredited private vocational training institutions
^JEED aka Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers (独立行政法人高齢・障害・求職者雇用支援機構)[5] provides services for administration of elderly (高齢),[6] Persons with Disabilities (障害)[6] and Job Seekers (求職者)[7] along with support for those employers in needs of job training (職業訓練) for their staff,[7] consultation for employee education (従業員の能力開発に関する相談・援助)[7] and applying for support and incentives for vocational training by employers for job seekers (求職者支援制度による職業訓練の実施).[7] Applicable employee toward Japanese duel system (日本版デュアルシステム)[7] including database for vocational training courses (職業訓練コース情報の検索)[7] and support for women job seekers (女性の求職者).[7]
^A Semmon-gakkō is equivalent to ISCED-5B level.[34] There are over 200,000 students accredited as Semmonshi annually.[35]
^Certifying a successful Senshū-gakkō graduate a deploma was legislated in the supplement 1, Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (Monbu kagakushō kokuji dai 139-gō (文部科学省告示第百三十九号) dated 9 September 2005 (Heisei 17).
^At a Semmon-gakkō, the requirement is that you study more than two years successfully to receive a Diploma (専門士, Semmonshi), a specialist or an expert in Japanese. Whereas, an academic Diploma (高度専門士, kōdo-Semmonshi) will be issued when you have completed successfully at a particular specialized course with four-years' requirement at a Senshū-gakkō. A successful graduate of a Semmon-gakkō with mandagory four years' study will also be qualified for advanced academic diploma.
^ abcdeMinistry of Health, Labour and Welfare (ed.). "2 Vocational Training"(PDF). Overview of Human Resources Development Administration: 2–5. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
^"Outline of the Training for unemployed workers (Outsourced Training)". Overview of Human Resources Development Administration. Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare: 7.
^Article 17 of the Human Resources Development Promotion Law regulates that if an educational institution is not a public facilities aimed at human resources development, it is not allowed to include "human resources development" in its name.
^"General Overview". Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2017. Source: MHLW's Pamphlet.
^ ab"Ginō gorin towa" [About the Abilimpics]. Japan Vocational Ability Development Association (JAVADA, 中央職業能力開発協会). 15 November 2014. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014.
^Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers (ed.). "National and Prefectural Abilympics"(PDF). Educational Activities Concerning Disability Employment: 14. Archived from the original(PDF) on 22 November 2017. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
^Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers (ed.). "International Abilympics". {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
^Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. "The official leaflet published by MEXT"(PDF) (in Japanese). Retrieved 18 January 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Sangyō Jinzai Ikusei Sentā" (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 January 2017. Since 1 April 2013 (Heisei 25), Tottori Prefecture has changed its two Shokugyō Nōryoku senmonō to Sangyō Jinzai Ikusei Sentā
