Student Vietnam Dispatch is a project that began in 2023.
Japanese students from within and outside of the organization are dispatched to sending institutions in Vietnam.
The students live together with technical intern trainees at the sending institution and are supported in their Japanese language studies.
Project Outline
| Project Name | Student Dispatch Program to Vietnam |
| Area of project | Hanoi, Vietnam |
| Main Target | Technical intern trainees before coming to Japan |
| Main Activities | Japanese language study support at sending organizations Shared living with technical intern trainees Research on export of labor from Vietnam to Japan |
| Department in charge | Student Vietnam Dispatch Office |
Features
Japanese Language Education for Technical Intern Trainees
Sending institutions hold classes for trainees every day. Students range from trainees who have just entered the school to trainees who have just left Japan, so classes need to be creative. We use a trial-and-error approach to conduct classes, such as creating opportunities for the students to experience Japanese language and culture through karuta and origami, and familiarizing them with complex grammar and pronunciation through Japanese songs. The class was conducted through a process of trial and error, such as creating opportunities for students to experience Japanese language and culture through karuta and origami, and familiarizing them with complex grammar and pronunciation through Japanese songs. Because the students are of the same generation, they are able to engage in lively conversation in class, making every class enjoyable and meaningful.
Living with Technical Intern Trainees
The trainees live together in the dormitory of the Technical Intern Training Center in Vietnam. By living together from morning to night, not only do the technical intern trainees improve their communication skills with Japanese people, but we also deepen our understanding of their lifestyle and values.
Visits to Technical Intern Trainees’ Homes
Many of the technical intern trainees coming from Vietnam come from rural areas of Vietnam. During the dispatch, we use holidays to visit the trainees’ parents’ homes. At their parents’ homes, we deepen our understanding of their expectations of Japan and their children’s technical internship through discussions with their families.
These visits to the trainees’ parents’ homes are a very important opportunity for us to deepen our understanding of where they came from and what kind of life they have led up to now.
Surveys and Research on Technical Intern Training
We visit local experts and administrative agencies to deepen our knowledge of technical intern trainees and the sending of Vietnamese workers. The lessons learned through these surveys and research activities are utilized in the organization’s various activities.
Dispatch Experiences
This dispatch program allows the group to cover all expenses from travel to living expenses such as food. Therefore, before the dispatch, there was a lot of hard work to be done from the preparation stage, such as studying about technical internship and training in easy Japanese. (Even food training!)
The day after arriving in the capital city of Hanoi, we began dormitory life with the technical intern trainees at the sending organization. At first I was anxious about the military-like regularity of life, with early morning runs, but the girls in my room were kind and I was able to get along with them as if we were friends of the same age, and I got used to the hard beds and strict lifestyle more quickly than I thought I would.
At the sending institution, we have classes for trainees every day. The students ranged from those who had just entered the school to those who were just about to leave, so I had to be creative in my teaching. We had to create opportunities for the students to experience Japanese language and culture through karuta (Japanese playing cards) and origami (origami paper folding), and we also used Japanese songs to familiarize the students with complex grammar and pronunciation, through trial and error. Even so, because we were of the same generation, we were able to have lively conversations in class, and all the classes during our stay were very enjoyable.
During our stay, we visited sending organizations and administrative facilities outside of our host country, and were able to hear from a wide range of people involved, from the field to the administration. Through the learning gained from these visits and our experiences, we were able to deepen our understanding of multiculturalism and technical training in Japan during this dispatch.
After the dispatch, we have continued to engage in activities to disseminate what we learned through the dispatch to the general public, such as receiving an opportunity from the Kanagawa Prefectural Government to give a lecture at the “Vietnam Festa in Kanagawa”.
August 2023 Dispatch Student Leader
Shoji Haruka
Gallery
