Japan's IT giants to coach nation's techies

By Staff and reports

TOKYO, Japan (CNN) -- Toshiba, Hitachi, NEC, and other Japanese tech heavyweights have agreed with union officials to set up a groundbreaking training program.

Designed to end the mismatch between skills and openings in the job market, the industry-wide vocational training program would be a first for Japan.

Volatile market conditions have led to sweeping job cuts in Japan's export-heavy IT sector as well as a transformation in the nation's workforce.

Culture shift

Japan is seeing a gradual shift from a culture of permanent employment into one of contingency or contract recruitment, and is in need of facilities to coach workers who can easily shift positions.

The country's major tech players, along with the Japanese Electrical Electronic and Information Union (JEIU), agreed to leverage their training facilities to educate tech staff, according to the Nihon Keizai business daily.

The group also plans to set up a certification system to ease job transfers.

The JEIU plans to open a training facility in Tokyo. The tech firms will manage the instructors and curriculum.

Course topics will include computer and Internet-related technology, as well as language training and preparation for certification testing.

Courses will be open to the 770,000 working members of the 224 labor unions under the JEIU.

Labor union authorities expect many members from small and midsize firms to participate in the program.