Adviser for Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment Dr Asif Nazrul has said that initiatives have been taken to create extensive employment opportunities for Bangladeshis in the developed world, including Japan, through free training and post-training employment.

He made the remarks as the chief guest on Thursday at a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signing between the Expatriate Welfare ministry and Onodera User Run Incorporate of Japan.

Senior Secretary of the Ministry Dr Nayamat Ullah Bhuiyan, BMET Director General Saleh Ahmed Mozaffar, and Takato Kawakami, Manager of the Overseas Business Department of Onodera User Run Incorporate, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations.

The MoU concerns the training and certification of Bangladeshi workers under the Specified Skilled Workers category. The event was held at the conference room of the ministry.

Asif said Japan is a highly favoured destination for Bangladeshis. So far, 695 technical interns have gone to Japan under the Technical Training Programme. With the signing of this MoU, it will now be possible to send a greater number of workers to Japan in the days to come.

He added that workers will get training opportunities in various trades, especially caregiving, industrial packaging, plastic moulding, rod binding, scaffolding, welding, car painting, automobile mechanics, and others.

Presided over by Senior Secretary of the Ministry Dr. Nayamat Ullah Bhuiyan, the event was also addressed by BMET Director General Saleh Ahmed Mozaffar, Charge d'Affaires of the Japanese Embassy in Bangladesh Takahashi Naoki, and Manager of the Overseas Business Department of Onodera User Ran Incorporate Takato Kawakami.