日本拟把机场地勤纳入"育成就労"外籍培训生制度，300个名额从特定技能额度内调拨、目标12月内阁批准

TOKYO -- Japan looks to allow recruitment of foreign trainees to work as ground crew at airports, helping provide long-term manpower to a sector facing a labor shortage.
Officials outlined the plan to add the aviation sector to Japan's Employment for Skill Development program at an expert advisory panel meeting Tuesday. The government seeks to secure cabinet approval on the matter in December.
An anticipated 300 foreign nationals would enter the aviation sector under the skill development program. The government envisions roles in airport ground crew operations, with foreign workers receiving training in tasks such as loading baggage and cargo onto aircraft.
The government sets sector-specific caps on the number of employees accepted under the Specified Skilled Worker (Type 1) and the Employment for Skill Development categories. For aviation, the overall cap will remain at 4,900 workers. Instead, the 300 positions would be reallocated from the Specified Skilled Worker category to the Employment for Skill Development program.
The skill development program, which begins in April, will replace Japan's technical intern trainee program. It is designed to foster and secure foreign workers who obtain skills equivalent to those in the Specified Skilled Worker category through three years of employment in sectors facing labor shortages.
Tokyo intends to create a continuous path between the skill development program and the Specified Skilled Worker category so that foreign workers can support Japanese industries over the long term.
Under current guidelines, 17 of the 19 sectors covered by the Specified Skilled Worker system and recognized by the government as facing labor shortages are eligible for the skill development program. If aviation is added, that figure will expand to 18 sectors, leaving only motor transport uncovered.