1. Industrial Training Program (ITP)
2. Technical Internship Program (ITP)

1. Industrial Training Program (ITP)

(1) What is the Industrial Training Program?
     The main purpose of the Industrial Training Program is to accept young and middle-aged workers from overseas and support their efforts in acquiring Japanese industrial and vocational skills, techniques, and knowledge within about one year. The status of“ Trainee” is defined in the Immigration Control and Refugee Recognition Act as those who undertake “Activities to learn and acquire technology, skills or knowledge at public or private organizations in Japan.” Those who are going to receive the training in Japan need to obtain“ Trainee” residential status, and those who are authorized to enter Japan under this status are known as a“ Trainee.”

(2) Content of Training Programs
     Training programs consist of "off-the-job training (OFF-JT)" and "on-the-job training (ON-JT)". OFF-JT facilitates to make　ON-JT for trainees as effective as possible. To be more precise,　OFF-JT includes educating an approach to learning the　Japanese language, the Japanese environment of daily life, the　culture, and actual training, and which also includes basic knowledge concerning relevant industries or occupations, basic awareness about operational safety and health, making prototypes, and retail simulation. ON-JT provides opportunities to acquire technology, skills or knowledge in the real business environment, such as engaging in production at a production site, in sales or service occupation.

     The program(s) must satisfy following requirements:

a.　Trainees must be a non-Japanese national of 18 years old or older.
b.　The duration of the program is fundamentally no more than one year.
c.　At least one third or more of the total training period must be constituted to OFF-JT.
d.　Training must be supervised by those with more than five years' experience as fulltime staff at the trainee(s) recipient site.
e.　Training must involve skills and technical expertise that are difficult or impossible to acquire in a trainee's home country or district.
f.　Trainees are expected to engage in occupations requiring the skills and technical expertise they have attained in Japan after returning to their home countries.

(3) Trainee Treatment
     As trainees are to learn/obtain skills and technical expertise, they are not to engage in activities for remuneration. As such, they will not be covered by Japanese labor Acts. As trainees are not covered by the Workmen's Accident Compensation Insurance, accepting companies/organizations are required to cover trainees with comprehensive insurance, in case they are injured or are involved in accidents during their training period, and assure their safety and health at training facilities.
     Although the provision of remuneration for labor is not allowed, trainees may be reimbursed with compensation for substantial costs which arise from the training itself (accommodation, food, spending money, etc.).
     Companies which accept trainees are not to make them work overtime, nor are they to pay extra money for labor; such actions will be deemed as the use of a labor force, not trainees.

(4) Standards for Accepting Companies
Accepting companies should fulfill following conditions:
a.　Securing of accommodation/lodging and training facilities for trainees.
b.　Placement of a daily life advisor.
c.　Subscription to insurance in case of death, injury, disease incurred during training.
d.　Taking necessary measures for safe and healthy work environment.
e.　Fundamentally limiting the number of trainees to a twentieth of the fulltime staff of the accepting company.

2. Technical Internship Program (ITP)

(1) What is the Technical Internship Program?
     The main purpose of the Technical Internship Program is to enhance the technology, skills, and knowledge, which were acquired through the Industrial Training Program more pragmatically and practically, in an actual work environment; the maximum span for this program is three years, including the period for the Industrial Training Program.

     If a trainee wishes to continue and become a technical intern, he/she is required to apply to the Japan International Training Cooperation Organization (JITCO) at least 3 months prior to completion of the training, to ask for its evaluation of his/her achievement(s) as a trainee. The trainee is required to exceed a certain level as a trainee, fulfill given conditions regarding his/her residential matters and TIP plan at the evaluation, and obtain the permission to change his/her status of residence to“ Designated Activities” in order to participate in the TIP at the same work place where ITP was first provided. Trainees who obtain this status of residence are known as “Technical Interns.”

(2) Requirements for Technical Internship Program
     The period for TIP is approximately one and a half times more than ITP, but is less than 3 years for the two programs accumulated. (Certain types of jobs take only up to two years).
     Accepting companies and technical trainees should enter into a labor contract because TIP is undertaken based upon an employment relationship. Labor related Acts, such as the Labor Standards Act, the Minimum Wage Act, the Workmen's　Accident Compensation Insurance Act, and so on, are all applied to TIP trainees.