BMW, Mitsubishi Fuso To Tackle Mechanic Shortage In Japan

The Japanese unit of Germany's BMW AG and Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corp. have launched a joint program in April aimed at training auto mechanics in Japan as part of efforts to address a "severe" labor shortage in the industry, Kyodo News reported.

Under the program, trainees will sign a contract with the automakers to spend over 70% of the year for on-the-job training at their outlets or dealerships while attending schools in the remaining time.

The program, led by the German Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan, seeks to provide a platform to train a new generation of mechanics in three years, shorter than the five years usually needed to acquire necessary skills.

Under the program, which is based on Germany's dual vocational training system, trainees will sign a contract with the automakers to spend over 70% of the year for on-the-job training at their outlets or dealerships while attending schools in the remaining time.

Trainees will receive financial assistance such as salary and tuition and are expected to be employed at the two automakers upon completion of the program. They will also be given a German auto mechanic certificate, they said.

"A shortage of experts is bringing various social problems in both Japan and Germany and it's particularly severe in the auto industry," Lucas Witoslawski, deputy delegate of the chamber of commerce, told reporters at the German Embassy in Tokyo on April 4.