KOCHI: Taking a step further in Kerala-Japan ties in IT, Association for Overseas Technical Scholarship (AOTS) has announced the services of a full-time Japanese professor from Shimane University at Kochi to help train Indian students who wish to pursue opportunities in Japan.
This is part of the MOU of economic exchange signed between the Sai-in region’s mayors’ association with Kerala Government in 2015. Under the scheme, 12 final-year IT students will be taken for a fully-paid 14-day visit to experience the IT culture in Japan, of which a few will be bestowed with a job offer as well. At present, this programme is open to students of three engineering colleges: CUSAT, Rajagiri and SCMS, Cochin.
Already, five IT professionals are currently employed in Japan under this scheme over the past two years."The main challenge foreigner graduates face while working in Japan is language, and I intend to help students learn enough to survive in our country," said Miki Shimizu, the appointed professor.
AOTS in collaboration with Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce Kerala (INJACK) aims to establish 100 small-medium scale enterprises in Kerala with the help of Japanese skillset and investment in the next five years.
"We have already been able to facilitate five of such initiatives in Kerala till now," said Jacob Kovoor, an AOTS representative. Already, a couple of professionals from Japan have finished their internship in various IT firms in Kerala.