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Partnership for skills training

ILO-Japan sign ¥30,831,000 skills’ training initiative

A collaboration between the Government of Japan and the International Labour Organization will strengthen a range of courses offered by the International Training Centre in Turin, Italy.

Press release | 14 June 2013
Yoshihiro Senoo, Assistant Minister for International Affairs at the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and Patricia O’Donovan, ITC-ILO Director
GENEVA – A new employment and skills training programme is to be launched at the ILO’s International Training Centre (ITC-ILO), following the signing of a framework of cooperation between the ILO and the Government of Japan.

It was signed on June 14 by Patricia O’Donovan, ITC-ILO Director, and Yoshihiro Senoo, Assistant Minister for International Affairs at the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW).

The collaboration will lead to the implementation of a training project at the training centre in Turin, Italy, focussing on skills’ development and Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Its aim is to help government officials, social partners and other development stakeholders acquire in-depth knowledge of these areas, while also improving their technical, analytical and managerial capabilities.

ILO Deputy Director General, Gilbert Houngbo, welcomed the initiative. “This new framework for cooperation with Japan will add value to ITC-ILO training on subjects pertaining to employment promotion and employability. For its part, the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan will benefit from international exposure and peer-to-peer exchanges. This new initiative will also explore further collaboration, notably between the ITC-ILO and relevant training institutions in Japan."

The Japanese government will give ¥30,831,000, (approximately US$300,000), in financial support for the training. A Japanese expert will be seconded to the programme.

“We are delighted to have this cooperation framework,” said Junichi Kaneko, Vice-Minister of Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. “We extend thanks to all at the ILO and stress our country’s commitment to support the activities of the ILO.”

This is the latest in a number of collaborations between the ILO and the Japanese government, including one on social safety nets in Asia, and another on employment and labour measures, following the 2011 Japan earthquake.

“This represents a new collaboration between the Japanese government and the Centre, which facilitates knowledge-sharing, as well as skills development,” said Patricia O’Donovan, Director of the International Training Centre.

For more information, please contact the ILO Department of Communication and Public Information at communication@ilo.org or +4122/799-7912.