FUKUOKA, Feb 16 (News On Japan) –
A extreme scarcity of truck drivers—forecast to succeed in 210,000 by fiscal 2030—has prompted a driving college operator in Fukuoka Prefecture to start recruiting international drivers in an effort to assist Japan’s strained logistics sector.
Ryousuke Kobayashi of Minami Holdings, which operates driving colleges in Fukuoka, traveled to rural cities in Cambodia distributing flyers to recruit potential drivers keen to work in Japan. The firm has established a driving college within the capital Phnom Penh to coach drivers for employment in Japan, and when reporters visited in October final 12 months, 12 Cambodian trainees have been present process Japanese-language schooling and driving instruction. Tuition, together with procedures associated to journey and employment in Japan, prices about $3,000 per particular person, and the enterprise should ship greater than 100 trainees to Japan yearly to stay viable.
One trainee getting ready to depart for Japan is Chhun Chet, 44, who beforehand labored for 3 years as a welding technician in Tochigi Prefecture beneath Japan’s technical intern program. After returning dwelling, Chet earned a residing as a tuk-tuk driver, however determined to go away his household once more to work in Japan to be able to cowl academic bills for his two daughters. Training alongside him is Sar Sandy, 30, who hopes to develop into a truck driver—nonetheless a uncommon profession selection for ladies in Cambodia.
Both are set to hitch Sankei Works, a transport firm primarily based in Nogata, Fukuoka Prefecture, which employs 13 drivers and primarily delivers meals and alcoholic drinks inside the prefecture. Struggling to safe Japanese drivers, the corporate determined to rent Chet and Sandy as international drivers and holds excessive expectations for his or her efficiency.
In November final 12 months, the 2 arrived in Japan and commenced coaching to cross the nation’s driver’s license examination. However, Japan’s left-side site visitors and right-hand-drive autos—reverse of Cambodia—proved difficult. Despite present process superior AI-assisted coaching, Chet made repeated errors, receiving a rating of minus 100 out of 100, whereas Sandy recorded minus 55, highlighting the problem of adapting to Japan’s driving system.
Although they continued coaching every day, each in the end failed the licensing examination. The query now’s whether or not Kobayashi can set up a secure path for international drivers to work in Japan, as he and the 2 Cambodian trainees tackle the problem of overcoming the hurdles to employment within the nation’s logistics business.
Source: テレ東BIZ