Skills Evaluation System in Japan

1
Skills Evaluation System in Japan

• 1) Introduction
• a) Issues surrounding HRD policy
• b) Outline of HRD policy
• 2) National Trade Skill Testing
• Certification
• Succeeding and promoting
• high-proficiency skilled workers

Monday, October 20, 2006Overseas Cooperation
Division, HRD Bureau, Ministry of Health,
Labour and Welfare
2
Issues surrounding HRD Policy

• Accelerated technological
  innovation
• Structural changes in
  industries
• Diversification of
  working attitudes and style
• Widening mismatch of vocational
  ability
• Decline in Populations
• Issues of young people
• High turnover rate and
  unemployment rate
• Freeters and NEETs
  on the rise

3
Human Recourses Development (HRD) Promotion Law

• Objective
• Vocational training standard
• Assistance for employers
• Foundation of public VT institutions
• Training materials
• Vocational training trainer
• and others

4
HRD Policy Map
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National Trade Skill Testing
Certification
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Objectives of
the Testing Certification System

• To appraise and to certify the vocational
  abilities and knowledge that workers have
  achieved in their vocational lives.
• To encourage skilled workers to seek a higher
  degree of expertise, and to enhance the publics
  appreciation of skilled achievement and
  vocational training, thereby raising both the
  skills and socio-economic status of workers and
  contributing to the development of Japanese
  industry.

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National Trade Skill Test System

• ? 137 kinds of trades (occupations)
• ? Inaugurated in 1959
• ? Classified into 4 grades Special, First,
  Second, and Third grade
• ? 470,000 applicants, 170,000 people passing
  tests in FY2005.
• ? 3.3 million people have been certified.
• ? Certificates and Certified Skilled Worker
  Title

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Trades
The skill testing system has become widespread to
a certain extent covering 273 selective works
integrated into 137 trades
Category Construction, Ceramics/Soil/Stone,
Metal Machining, Electric precision equipment,
Food, Clothes/Textile product, Wood/Paper
product, Plastics product, Jewelry and
Accessory, Printing/Bookbinding, and others
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Grades/Levels

• Special grade for managers / supervisors(Number
  of applicants, successful applicants, its ratio
  50,721 15,207 30 in the
  latest 5 FYs)
• 1st Grade for advanced skilled workers
• (2,422,234 1,060,548 43.8)
• 2nd Grade for intermediate skilled
  workers
• (4,283,029 1,750,557 40.9)
• 3rd Grade for novice workers
• (360,193 174,830 48.5)

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Grades v.s Length of Experience
1st
Grades
2nd
3rd
0
12 years
6
3
8
Length of Experience
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Organisational Functions by HRD Promotion Law
National Trade Skill Testing Certification
System

• MHLW ? JAVADA (JApan Vocational Ability
  Development Association)
• Entrusts with developing methodologies of the
  Tests and producing the assignments of the Tests
• Pref. Government ?Pref. VADA
• Entrusts with running the Tests

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Skills Testing Expert

• JAVADA and Pref. VADA appoint national / local
  experts as part-time staff of each, from among
  those who have professional skills and knowledge
  on the relevant trades or sub trades
• Duties of national experts are to prepare the
  practical and theoretical test and undertake any
  other technical matters
• Duties of pref. experts are to implement and
  supervise the practical skill test and do marking
  the test projects.

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Practical skill test

• Practical skill test is carried out mainly by so
  called achievement test where applicants perform
  actual work
• Working time is defined by standard time and
  maximum time. Any works over the standard time
  incurs demerit points by degree of excess
• Test projects are in most cases to be sent to
  applicants three month prior to the test
• Instead of actual work, examination of specimen,
  finding faults, and technical paper tests on
  operations simulations of actual work are
  applied for some trades

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Theoretical test

• Theoretical test complements the practical test
  and evaluates the proper judgement ability and
  knowledge necessary for ordinary work, not merely
  for checking academic knowledge.
• Maximum time of written test is two hours.
• Questions are composed of 25 multiple choice
  tests and 25 true-false tests
• A part of questions are to be selected from item
  bank, and 30 of questions are new ones

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Criteria for passing test

• To pass both practical skills test and
  theoretical test
• To get 60 points at least in 100 points, full
  scores for practical tests and
• 65points for theoretical tests
• If in case either of the tests are not quite
  there, he can try again for one he failed until
  he succeeds or until he gives up

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Vocational Abilities of Workers
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Utilisation of Trade Skill Test
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Keys to make the Skill Test sustainable and
valuable

• 1.Qualitiy of the Test being secured
• a) Demand based quality of the tests
• b) Quality, Equality and Fairness of carrying
  out the tests
• c) Quality of the assessors
• 2.Industries cooperating in implementing the Test
  in various aspects

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Other Vocational Ability Evaluation Systems

• Accredited System for In-house Trade Skills Test
• ? Certifying system of the trade skills which are
  specific to a company
• ? Such skill tests are accredited by the
  Government as Accredited System for In-house
  Trade Skills Test, for being made use of
  evaluating workers skill levels.
• ? As of April 2006, 131 trade skills in 39
  companies are designated as such.
• Vocational ability evaluation standards
• ? Based on competencies needed in carrying out
  jobs,
• ? In collaboration with employers associations,
• ? Covering from administrative work to technical
  and skill-related work
• ? Covering from manufacturing to services sectors

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Succeeding and Promoting High-Proficiency
Skilled Workers
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Types of High-Proficiency Skills

• Type A The skilled workers who can manufacture
  the hifh-precision and high-quality products with
  the high skill that cannot replace it by machine.
  Super Skilled Worker
• Type B The skilled workers with the flexibility
  can meet wide production ordering and be engaged
  in technical development Frontier Skilled
  Worker
• Type C Those who can realize a practical
  operation method in the production. High-tech
  Skilled Worker

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A big diameter spherical surface lens polishing
Development of new gilding for making reflex
mirror of laser light collection
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Career Path for Industrial People
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Promotion of Skills

• Skill Grand Prix
• Certification of High-Proficiency Skilled Workers
• Commendation of Prominent Skilled Workers

(in closing the presentation)
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Thank you for your attention
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