Các yếu tố ảnh hưởng đến thành công của các thực tập sinh Việt Nam: Một nghiên cứu thực nghiệm về chương trình đào tạo kỹ thuật viên của tổ chức hợp tác kỹ thuật quốc tết Nhật Bản (JITCO)

.+2$+&9j&1*1*+…ụ1*ụ Taùp chớ .LQKQJKLầP7KõFWLặQ 46 SỐ 4 (2018) FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SUCCESS OF THE VIETNAMESE TECHNICAL TRAINEES:AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF THE TECHNICAL TRAINEE TRAINING PROGRAM BY JAPAN INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL COOPERATION ORGANIZATION (JITCO) CÁC YẾU TỐ ẢNH HƯỞNG ĐẾN THÀNH CễNG CỦA CÁC THỰC TẬP SINH VIỆT NAM: MỘT NGHIấN CỨU THỰC NGHIỆM VỀ CHƯƠNG TRèNH ĐÀO TẠO KỸ THUẬT VIấN CỦA TỔ CHỨC HỢP TÁC KỸ THUẬT QUỐC TẾ NHẬT BẢN (JITCO) NGUYEN DUC BAO LONG * Túm tắt Đưa lao động đến cỏc nước phỏt triển hơn để làm việc là một chiến lược quan trọng cho phỏt triển chất lượng nguồn nhõn lực và tạo thu nhập của Việt Nam. Nhật Bản dường như là một thị trường lý tưởng cú thể giỳp Việt Nam đạt được hầu hết tất cả cỏc mục tiờu này với nhiều chương trỡnh giỳp Tu nghiệp sinh nõng cao kỹ thuật thụng qua thời gian làm việc tại Nhật Bản. Đỏng chỳ ý nhất là Chương trỡnh đào tạo kỹ thuật viờn của Tổ chức hợp tỏc kỹ thuật quốc tế Nhật Bản (JITCO). Thụng qua một nghiờn cứu thực nghiệm, bài viết này sẽ trả lời cho cõu hỏi: cỏc yếu tố cú thể ảnh hưởng đến sự thành cụng của Thực tập sinh (TTS) khi tham gia chương trỡnh đào tạo kỹ thuật của Tổ chức Hợp tỏc Kỹ thuật Quốc tế Nhật Bản (JITCO). Dữ liệu được thu thập thụng qua một cuộc điều tra và phỏng vấn bỏn cấu trỳc. Những người tham gia trả lời cõu hỏi của nghiờn cứu này là 300 TTS đang tham gia vào cỏc khúa học chuẩn bị để làm việc tại Nhật Bản và những người đó hoàn thành chương trỡnh đào tạo kỹ thuật của họ. Dữ liệu được phõn tớch bằng cỏch sử dụng phõn tớch SPSS. Kết quả nghiờn cứu cho thấy bốn yếu tố cú thể ảnh hưởng đến thành cụng của chương trỡnh đào tạo kỹ thuật tại Nhật Bản; bao gồm tự nhận thức, định hướng và giảng dạy tiếng Nhật, kế hoạch đào tạo kỹ thuật, và chuẩn bị cho kỳ thi trỡnh độ tiếng Nhật và cỏc bài kiểm tra kỹ thuật quốc gia. Từ khúa: chương trỡnh đào tạo kỹ thuật, JITCO, Việt Nam, Nhật Bản. Summary Sending labors to more developed countries for working is an important strategy for human resources quality development and income generation of Vietnam. Japan appears to be an ideal market which can help Vietnam to achieve almost all of these objectives with many programs helping the trainees to improve their technical skills through working in Japan. The most noticeable is the Technical Trainee Training Program by Japan International Technical Cooperation Organization (JITCO). Through an empirical study, this paper will seek to answer the question: what are the factors that might have an influence on the success of a technical trainee participating in the technical trainee program by the Japan International Technical Cooperation Organization (JITCO). Data were collected through a survey and semi-structured interviews. Targeted respondents of this research are 300 technical trainees who are taking part in prepa- ration courses for working in Japan and those who have finished their technical trainee program. Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Research results reveal that four factors might have an influence on the success of the technical trainee program in Japan; including the self-awareness, orientation and Japanese language teaching, technical trainee plan, and the preparation for the Japanese language proficiency test and national technical tests. Keywords: technical trainee program, JITCO, Vietnam, Japan NGUYEN THI LE VAN * NGUYEN DUC QUYNH LAN * TRAN VAN TUAN ** * Dong Do University, Vietnam ** Ho Chi Minh University of Law, Vietnam Ngày nhận bài: 10/5/2018; ngày thẩm định: 10/7/2018; ngày duyệt đăng: 15/9/2018 .+2$+&9j&1*1*+…ụ1*ụ Taùp chớ .LQKQJKLầP7KõFWLặQ 47SỐ 4 (2018) Introduction Research Background Sending labors to more developed countries to work is an important strategy for human resources quality development and income generation in Vietnam. There are about 800 thousand Vietnamese workers working in 30 different occupational cate- gories in 40 countries and territories. Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia are the main countries that outsource labors from Vietnam. Annually, exported workers’ income increases quickly, and as a result, these workers send back to Vietnam USD 1.8 to 2 billion annually, contributing to improving their families’ well-being as well as developing the country. Overseas manpower supplying has been giving many benefits to the labors themselves as well as to Vietnam. Through overseas manpower supply, the State may aim at macro objectives to improve the labor quality, labor productivity, or to enhance international cooperation; while the labor first priority is to generate as much incomes as possible. Depending on the laws and income standards of the receiving countries as well as the binding contract, labors will be selected to work in the receiving countries in a predetermined time with a certain contracted income. The labor’s income will increase gradually based on their productivity and performance. After three years of working, which is the usual contract duration, a worker can make a quite substantial earning, 10 or 15 times of their original income if they chose to work at home. This saving can help change the worker’s life or help them start their own business when coming back. Moreover, technical trainees from Vietnam can make the most advantages from the time working in Japan as this program can help them to develop some core working skills, which are now consid- ered requirements, such as communication and time-management skills, better self-confidence and better self-motivation (Gill and Lashine, 2003; Dennis, 1996). Work experience through co-opera- tive programs also provide credible means for softening the reality shock of transitioning from the world of academics to the working world. (Garavan and Murphy, 2001; Collin and Tynjalla, 2003). In fact, internships improve job opportunities for students since these opportunities allow them to sharpen their job skills and work values, to focus on their career choices, to directly access job sources, and even to impress potential employers. As a result, students who had internships' experiences tend to find jobs more quickly upon graduation than students who did not (Knouse et al., 1999). For Vietnam, overseas manpower supply helps resolving the immediate issues related to jobs creat- ing and increasing foreign currencies. As an estimate, it will cost USD 2000 to 2500 to create a new job in Vietnam excluding the cost of land used for building workstation. Therefore, the Govern- ment may save a remarkable amount of investment capital. The annual average state management cost for each labor is USD 30 while the annual average state income from exporting each labor is USD 37.6, which is a very high investment rate. The Stage budget also generates hundreds of millions of dollars through social insurance fees, income tax, enterprise tax from overseas manpower supply enterprises, fees from licensing for overseas man- power supply, the fees for licensing contract or visa fees, etc. In recent years, Vietnam is shifting its objectives much towards building long-term impacts rather than just focusing on immediate objectives, which are jobs creating and income generating. These more long-term objectives include improving the labor quality and labor productivity as well as enhancing the human resources development through overseas manpower supply and exchange programs. The Government of Vietnam is prioritiz- ing labor exchange programs in which through work, workers can develop their technical knowl- edge, occupational skills and basic skills for future career building beside traditional factors including jobs and higher income. Japan appears to be the ideal market which can help Vietnam to achieve almost all of these objectives with many overseas manpower supply programs helping labors to improve their technical skills through working. The most noticeable is the Technical Trainee Training Program by Japan International Technical Coopera- tion Organization (JITCO). In this program, Vietnamese technicians will participate in trainee programs in associated com- panies in Japan for some years to study and develop foundational skills and knowledge. After that, when being qualified, they will turn back to Vietnam and work as core technicians in companies in Vietnam. This is a good way to develop a highly qualified labor force for Vietnam, and indeed lots of Viet- namese technicians have been benefited from these programs. From 1998 to 2016, there have been 157,907 workers sent to Japan through technical trainee programs by JITCO (DOLAB, 2016). In the year 2016 alone, there are 21,063 Vietnamese train- ees (DOLAB, 2016), which accounted for 42% of total trainees of JITCO Program. The technical trainee program by JITCO is a 36-month program with detailed activities for tech- nical trainees since their first days in Japan till the day they come back to home country. This program will be the most effective if trainees are well prepared before joining the program with a period of orientation. In which, trainees will be explained and oriented carefully about the long-term benefits they would receive and their responsibilities so that they can take the most advantage of the program. Problem Statement/ Research question Through JITCO Program, many technical train- ees have been doing well and taken the most advan- tages of the programs. Nevertheless, there are still a few gaps that make these programs ineffective. The purpose of these programs is to transfer Skills to Technical Trainees who will form a basis of economic development in their respective coun- tries and play an important role in Japan's interna- tional cooperation and contribution. However, some Vietnamese technicians and program coordi- nators are making these programs become profita- ble manpower supply channels. Many technical trainees see this as a chance to go to developed countries like Japan and work for better money (Nguyen Thi Hong Bich, 2011). They fail to see the long-term benefits of grasping skills and knowl- edge to reach the professional level, which will be very good for their future career path. Furthermore, as some of them even have to pay for Vietnamese coordinators to get a slot on the programs, they have to get the money back and make as much money as they can as soon as they arrive Japan (Nguyen Tiep, 2007). As a a result, there have been many cases where Vietnamese workers choose to leave their contracted companies in Japan to work outside freely and illegally. This makes the bilateral cooperation meaningless and causes a lot of bad consequences related to the free and illegal Viet- namese labor force in Japan. Therefore, this paper will seek to answer the question “what are the factors that might have an influence on the success of a technical trainee taking part in the technical trainee program by JITCO?” Literature Review Human resources development through Techni- cal Trainee Program is still a controversial activity which attracts many researchers and institutions to study deeply on this technical trainee program, especially in terms of working conditions, labor rights and the possibility of developing the human resource. Nawawi (2010), in his study on the reality of Indonesian technical trainees, after conducting interviews with several trainees after finishing their trainee program from Japan, found some negative sides of the program in terms of working condi- tions, wage, saving, the transfer of technical knowl- edge and skills, and workers’ plans for the post-pro- gram. Nawawi discovered that although the train- ing program for foreigners has been instituted under the slogan of making international contribu- tions and helping developing nations improve human resources, however, in reality, the so-called trainees and technical trainees are being exploited to make up for the labor shortage. In addition, they are paid with low wages and are forced to take unproductive jobs, which are unconnected to their training. In some cases, trainees are forced to receive “training” outside of work hours and over the holidays. This contributes greatly to the “run-away” or “disappearing” of some trainees when in Japan (Nawawi, 2010). Nawawi’s research also revealed that many respondents felt disap- pointed regarding the fact that there were no new skills or techniques acquired during the training program. In terms of wage, the research showed that after becoming technical trainees, the number of monthly wages received varies and mostly higher than wages received in the first year. Those who work overtime received wages and allowance higher than those who were working for a company that did not offer overtime works. Therefore, it was indicated that Indonesian workers in Japan were able to save some of their salaries even though they received a monthly wage much lower than an aver- age Japanese worker as instructed in the Ministry of Justice guidelines. However, the survey shows that the majority of Indonesian trainees planned to develop their own businesses after completing the training program in Japan (43%), though they were not sure about what types of business they were going to conduct. In general, the research touched the main factors of a technical trainee program, which are also the objectives of the program. How- ever, it neither assesses the success of the program nor gives implications for the program to be more effective and successful. Doan Thi Yen and Nguyen Thi Minh Hien in 2014 conducted a study on the awareness raising and orientation with 200 exported labors to Japan (of which 120 had finished the program and 80 were still in Japan), and found that the majority of workers thought that their skills (67%) and aware- ness (54.5%) is better than before training and education. However, many workers thought that although their skills and awareness had been improved through training, their occupational skills could not meet the requirements of the employers (24.5%), and they could not also acquire enough knowledge and understanding to perform their work (45.1%). Especially, only 28.9% said their Japanese was better than before being trained, while 69.7% said their Japanese have improved but not quite satisfactory. The research also touched upon reasons to exported labors terminating their contracts before the due date. These link directly to the orientation and training for exported labors before going to work in Japan. The researcher sum- marized the causes of labor terminating their contracts before due date and found that only 16% of the labors volunteered to resign ahead of time, the rest were forced to resign due to poor Japanese and occupational skills (49%), disciplinary offenses (12.5%), absconding (12.5%) and inadequate health (10%). This result showed the low quality of labor selection and training of overseas manpower supplying countries. Reasons for this might include enterprises did not conduct a proper recruitment process to select appropriate candidates, enterprises applied for poorly designed training programs, training coordinators were weak in occupational expertise and teaching skills. Although the researchers conducted an empirical research on exported labors to Japan, they focused on all types of overseas manpower supplying programs and did not look into factors that might help these programs to be more effective and beneficial to the labors themselves. Many other researchers also looked at the issue from different perspectives. A thesis on political economy at Hanoi National Economics University in 2009 by Tran Xuan Tho on Vietnam's overseas manpower supply to the EU market systematized theories of overseas supplying labor force. This paper also gave an overview of the EU labor market and its relations with Vietnam, and especially the Vietnam's manpower supply status to the EU market. The thesis focused in detail on the Central and Eastern European countries (such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Rumania, Germany, Poland, Lithuania and the Balkans) as well as other Western, Southern and Northern European coun- tries (Finland, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Sweden, Portugal etc.). The thesis made predictions about the characteristics and trends of overseas manpower supply of Vietnam to the EU market in the coming time as well as recommended some possible solutions. Tran Thi Ai Duc's Ph.D.’s thesis at the Ho Chi Minh National Institute of Politics and Public Administration in 2011 on Vietnam's overseas man- power supply to the Middle East market also systematized the theories of overseas manpower supply; labor supply and labor regulations in the Middle East, with focuses on the Gulf Coast Com- munity (GCC). Building on the overseas manpower supply experiences of some countries in Asia as well as the study on the status of overseas manpow- er supply activities of Vietnam to the Middle East market, the author made assessments on causes of the shortcomings and problems in overseas man- power supply from Vietnam to this market in the past time. Accordingly, the author made predictions and solutions to promote overseas manpower supply activities from Vietnam to the Middle East market in the future. The research by the Globalization and Liveli- hood Options for People Living with Poverty (GLOPP) 2007 provided an overview on immigra- tion theories such as classical immigration theory (considering migration as a result of differences in wages, working conditions etc. between countries), world system theory as a necessary consequence of economic globalization, traction-driven model, decision-making model, etc. World Bank Report on Migration and Remit- tances (2012) released statistics on the number of remittances transferred to developing countries in 2011; the list of the 10 largest countries receiving remittances; forecasting the amount of remittances in the coming year; the benefits of international migration in general and remittances in particular; especially the World Bank initiatives in research programs on migration and remittances. A working paper by Dang Nguyen Anh (2008) on migration workers from Vietnam - policy and practice issues, examined the overseas manpower supply policies of the Government of Vietnam, the situation of Vietnamese overseas manpower supply activities in key markets, wage rates in markets, evidence of problems such as labor abuses, labor absconding, and the shortcomings of Vietnamese overseas manpower suppliers. The author put forward the core viewpoint to improve the efficien- cy of overseas manpower supply activities. All these researches have well presented the situation of Vietnamese labors in host markets as well as the problems related to exporting low-skilled or unskilled labors. Some research also gave solutions to improve the effectiveness of the overseas manpower supply business and of which, improving the labor force quality emerged as a major solution. However, those solutions pointed directly to the macro management, while the exported labors or technical trainees, the main object of the program, can improve the situation just by improving themselves. To increase the effectiveness and success of the program, factors should be considered at the individual level such as trainees’ self-awareness, orientation, language skills, trainee’s plan, participating in Japanese national occupational examination or working conditions. These factors have been identified through the observations of several exported train- ees’ cases and findings from relevant research such as the research by Nawawi (2010) on plan after coming back home, or Carlson and Rotondo (2001), Kim, Mone and Kim (2008), Danziger, Rachman-Moore and Valency, (2008) on career orientation etc. Research Methodology Built on the studies of past research and observa- tions of some specific cases, five factors have been identified as the main factors that might have an influence on the success of the technical trainee program. Thus, a research model has been estab- lished with five independent variables and one dependent variable. Five independent variables include: Self-awareness: defined as the awareness of each trainee about the program’s general objectives and the trainee’s personal objectives and roles. The self-awareness helps an individual to create clearer perceptions of internal states, emotions, and traits (Shelley Duval and Robert Wicklund, 1972 and 2001). Therefore, when a trainee focuses attention on the self, he/she compares his/her self with these standards and thus be encouraged to try harder to meet these standards and shows stronger emotional responses to a meeting or failing to meet a standard. Orientation and Japanese teaching: It are impor- tant that trainees receive an adequate orientation about the time they work and live in Japan. This will include the requirements for working in a Japa- nese workplace, dos and don’ts at a Japanese work- place, hints for developing the trainee’s personal development plan, Japanese teaching, etc. This issue has been mentioned in several pieces of research on exported labors and technical trainees such as the research by Doan Thi Yen (2014) or Ho Lu Lam Tran (2015). Technical trainee plan: Through observations on several exported labors in Vietnam, it is noticeable that no trainee had any plan for pre-departure, on duty and when coming back to Vietnam. The research by Nawawi (2010) touched upon the plan- ning of exported labors after coming back to Indo- nesia and showed that a clear plan might contribute to the success of a technical trainee program. Preparation for Japanese language proficiency and national technical tests: In Japan, there are examinations for a national license on each specific occupation such as the national license for nurse’s aid. Through some quick informal interviews with some trainees who have finished their trainee program and gone back to Vietnam, Japanese national tests for occupation license contributed greatly to the development of the trainee’s career path after finishing the trainee program. Besides, trainees are also required to reach N3 of the Japa- nese language after 6 months of coming to Japan. Working conditions: The working conditions and their relations to the will and devotion of the worker have been studied in several pieces of research such as Danica Bakotić (2013), which stated that difficult working conditions could nega- tively influence employees’ performances, or Gawel (1997), Atambo et. al., (2012), Abugre (2012), Bartol and Locke (2000). The independent variable is the success of the technical trainee program by JITCO. Although JITCO program has been mentioned in several pieces of research on exported labors to Japan (Nawawi (2010), Tran (2015), Yen (2014) etc.), its effectiveness or impact has not been assessed or analyzed. This model will contribute to setting up new knowledge of this program. Research hypotheses were developed accordingly: - There is a significant positive relationship between self-awareness and successful technical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between orientation and Japanese language training and successful technical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between technical trainee plan and successful tech- nical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between preparation for Japanese language profi- ciency test and Japan national technical test and successful technical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between working conditions and successful techni- cal training program. Research Design The paper employed a mixed research design, which includes a survey and interviews. The research design also provided an in-depth under- standing of the influence of different factors on the success of the technical trainee program by JITCO. The study adopted a cross-section survey to obtain data from a target population of 21,567 technical trainees with a sampling frame of 350 trainees chosen through a purposive random sampling tech- nique (Sekaran, 2009). A purposive sampling tech- nique was used as to ensure that the picked sample would provide the required specific and relevant information for the paper. Data were obtained by employing a survey questionnaire administered to all the 350 trainees and received 327 eligible responses, giving a response rate of 93.4 percent. Data Collection The data for the paper were gathered based on both primary and secondary sources through a self-explanatory questionnaire. The survey question- naire had twenty items on the Likert scale that sought for the employee responses on the same. Data Analysis and Presentation Data were thematically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences guided by the research questions of this paper. Descriptive statistical techniques, such as percentages and frequencies, were used to analyze data while the representation of data was done using tables and graphs. Data Analysis and Findings Data Analysis The Cronbach’s Alpha (α) was used to test the reliability of the research variables and variable items. The results of Cronbach’s Alpha testing are as below: To assess the normality of primary data, Figure 2 below indicates a histogram of normal P-P plot for regression standardized residual (Sahin and Thompson, 2007). The normal plot of regression standardized residuals for the dependent variable from five independent variables indicates a relatively normal distribution. Therefore, paramet- ric tests can be applied to primary data. The dependent variable is defined as the success of the technical trainee program. Demographic characteristics The respondents participated in this survey are technical trainees, of which 120 have finished the program and 207 are participating in an orientation and Japanese course for 4 months before going to Japan. Their demographic characteristics are quite diversified as below: It is noticeable that all trainees who have finished their trainee program have Japanese N3, while none of the respondents in the preparation stage has Japanese above N4. This observation suggests that trainees can improve their Japanese when working in Japan. Descriptive analysis of the influencing factors Descriptive analysis of each indicator under the five potential influencing factors of the success of the technical trainee program shows a high percent- age of agreeing and strongly agreeing with the statement in general. The Table below summarizes the view of respondents on specific indicators of the five potential influencing factors. .+2$+&9j&1*1*+…ụ1*ụ Taùp chớ .LQKQJKLầP7KõFWLặQ 48 SỐ 4 (2018) Introduction Research Background Sending labors to more developed countries to work is an important strategy for human resources quality development and income generation in Vietnam. There are about 800 thousand Vietnamese workers working in 30 different occupational cate- gories in 40 countries and territories. Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia are the main countries that outsource labors from Vietnam. Annually, exported workers’ income increases quickly, and as a result, these workers send back to Vietnam USD 1.8 to 2 billion annually, contributing to improving their families’ well-being as well as developing the country. Overseas manpower supplying has been giving many benefits to the labors themselves as well as to Vietnam. Through overseas manpower supply, the State may aim at macro objectives to improve the labor quality, labor productivity, or to enhance international cooperation; while the labor first priority is to generate as much incomes as possible. Depending on the laws and income standards of the receiving countries as well as the binding contract, labors will be selected to work in the receiving countries in a predetermined time with a certain contracted income. The labor’s income will increase gradually based on their productivity and performance. After three years of working, which is the usual contract duration, a worker can make a quite substantial earning, 10 or 15 times of their original income if they chose to work at home. This saving can help change the worker’s life or help them start their own business when coming back. Moreover, technical trainees from Vietnam can make the most advantages from the time working in Japan as this program can help them to develop some core working skills, which are now consid- ered requirements, such as communication and time-management skills, better self-confidence and better self-motivation (Gill and Lashine, 2003; Dennis, 1996). Work experience through co-opera- tive programs also provide credible means for softening the reality shock of transitioning from the world of academics to the working world. (Garavan and Murphy, 2001; Collin and Tynjalla, 2003). In fact, internships improve job opportunities for students since these opportunities allow them to sharpen their job skills and work values, to focus on their career choices, to directly access job sources, and even to impress potential employers. As a result, students who had internships' experiences tend to find jobs more quickly upon graduation than students who did not (Knouse et al., 1999). For Vietnam, overseas manpower supply helps resolving the immediate issues related to jobs creat- ing and increasing foreign currencies. As an estimate, it will cost USD 2000 to 2500 to create a new job in Vietnam excluding the cost of land used for building workstation. Therefore, the Govern- ment may save a remarkable amount of investment capital. The annual average state management cost for each labor is USD 30 while the annual average state income from exporting each labor is USD 37.6, which is a very high investment rate. The Stage budget also generates hundreds of millions of dollars through social insurance fees, income tax, enterprise tax from overseas manpower supply enterprises, fees from licensing for overseas man- power supply, the fees for licensing contract or visa fees, etc. In recent years, Vietnam is shifting its objectives much towards building long-term impacts rather than just focusing on immediate objectives, which are jobs creating and income generating. These more long-term objectives include improving the labor quality and labor productivity as well as enhancing the human resources development through overseas manpower supply and exchange programs. The Government of Vietnam is prioritiz- ing labor exchange programs in which through work, workers can develop their technical knowl- edge, occupational skills and basic skills for future career building beside traditional factors including jobs and higher income. Japan appears to be the ideal market which can help Vietnam to achieve almost all of these objectives with many overseas manpower supply programs helping labors to improve their technical skills through working. The most noticeable is the Technical Trainee Training Program by Japan International Technical Coopera- tion Organization (JITCO). In this program, Vietnamese technicians will participate in trainee programs in associated com- panies in Japan for some years to study and develop foundational skills and knowledge. After that, when being qualified, they will turn back to Vietnam and work as core technicians in companies in Vietnam. This is a good way to develop a highly qualified labor force for Vietnam, and indeed lots of Viet- namese technicians have been benefited from these programs. From 1998 to 2016, there have been 157,907 workers sent to Japan through technical trainee programs by JITCO (DOLAB, 2016). In the year 2016 alone, there are 21,063 Vietnamese train- ees (DOLAB, 2016), which accounted for 42% of total trainees of JITCO Program. The technical trainee program by JITCO is a 36-month program with detailed activities for tech- nical trainees since their first days in Japan till the day they come back to home country. This program will be the most effective if trainees are well prepared before joining the program with a period of orientation. In which, trainees will be explained and oriented carefully about the long-term benefits they would receive and their responsibilities so that they can take the most advantage of the program. Problem Statement/ Research question Through JITCO Program, many technical train- ees have been doing well and taken the most advan- tages of the programs. Nevertheless, there are still a few gaps that make these programs ineffective. The purpose of these programs is to transfer Skills to Technical Trainees who will form a basis of economic development in their respective coun- tries and play an important role in Japan's interna- tional cooperation and contribution. However, some Vietnamese technicians and program coordi- nators are making these programs become profita- ble manpower supply channels. Many technical trainees see this as a chance to go to developed countries like Japan and work for better money (Nguyen Thi Hong Bich, 2011). They fail to see the long-term benefits of grasping skills and knowl- edge to reach the professional level, which will be very good for their future career path. Furthermore, as some of them even have to pay for Vietnamese coordinators to get a slot on the programs, they have to get the money back and make as much money as they can as soon as they arrive Japan (Nguyen Tiep, 2007). As a a result, there have been many cases where Vietnamese workers choose to leave their contracted companies in Japan to work outside freely and illegally. This makes the bilateral cooperation meaningless and causes a lot of bad consequences related to the free and illegal Viet- namese labor force in Japan. Therefore, this paper will seek to answer the question “what are the factors that might have an influence on the success of a technical trainee taking part in the technical trainee program by JITCO?” Literature Review Human resources development through Techni- cal Trainee Program is still a controversial activity which attracts many researchers and institutions to study deeply on this technical trainee program, especially in terms of working conditions, labor rights and the possibility of developing the human resource. Nawawi (2010), in his study on the reality of Indonesian technical trainees, after conducting interviews with several trainees after finishing their trainee program from Japan, found some negative sides of the program in terms of working condi- tions, wage, saving, the transfer of technical knowl- edge and skills, and workers’ plans for the post-pro- gram. Nawawi discovered that although the train- ing program for foreigners has been instituted under the slogan of making international contribu- tions and helping developing nations improve human resources, however, in reality, the so-called trainees and technical trainees are being exploited to make up for the labor shortage. In addition, they are paid with low wages and are forced to take unproductive jobs, which are unconnected to their training. In some cases, trainees are forced to receive “training” outside of work hours and over the holidays. This contributes greatly to the “run-away” or “disappearing” of some trainees when in Japan (Nawawi, 2010). Nawawi’s research also revealed that many respondents felt disap- pointed regarding the fact that there were no new skills or techniques acquired during the training program. In terms of wage, the research showed that after becoming technical trainees, the number of monthly wages received varies and mostly higher than wages received in the first year. Those who work overtime received wages and allowance higher than those who were working for a company that did not offer overtime works. Therefore, it was indicated that Indonesian workers in Japan were able to save some of their salaries even though they received a monthly wage much lower than an aver- age Japanese worker as instructed in the Ministry of Justice guidelines. However, the survey shows that the majority of Indonesian trainees planned to develop their own businesses after completing the training program in Japan (43%), though they were not sure about what types of business they were going to conduct. In general, the research touched the main factors of a technical trainee program, which are also the objectives of the program. How- ever, it neither assesses the success of the program nor gives implications for the program to be more effective and successful. Doan Thi Yen and Nguyen Thi Minh Hien in 2014 conducted a study on the awareness raising and orientation with 200 exported labors to Japan (of which 120 had finished the program and 80 were still in Japan), and found that the majority of workers thought that their skills (67%) and aware- ness (54.5%) is better than before training and education. However, many workers thought that although their skills and awareness had been improved through training, their occupational skills could not meet the requirements of the employers (24.5%), and they could not also acquire enough knowledge and understanding to perform their work (45.1%). Especially, only 28.9% said their Japanese was better than before being trained, while 69.7% said their Japanese have improved but not quite satisfactory. The research also touched upon reasons to exported labors terminating their contracts before the due date. These link directly to the orientation and training for exported labors before going to work in Japan. The researcher sum- marized the causes of labor terminating their contracts before due date and found that only 16% of the labors volunteered to resign ahead of time, the rest were forced to resign due to poor Japanese and occupational skills (49%), disciplinary offenses (12.5%), absconding (12.5%) and inadequate health (10%). This result showed the low quality of labor selection and training of overseas manpower supplying countries. Reasons for this might include enterprises did not conduct a proper recruitment process to select appropriate candidates, enterprises applied for poorly designed training programs, training coordinators were weak in occupational expertise and teaching skills. Although the researchers conducted an empirical research on exported labors to Japan, they focused on all types of overseas manpower supplying programs and did not look into factors that might help these programs to be more effective and beneficial to the labors themselves. Many other researchers also looked at the issue from different perspectives. A thesis on political economy at Hanoi National Economics University in 2009 by Tran Xuan Tho on Vietnam's overseas manpower supply to the EU market systematized theories of overseas supplying labor force. This paper also gave an overview of the EU labor market and its relations with Vietnam, and especially the Vietnam's manpower supply status to the EU market. The thesis focused in detail on the Central and Eastern European countries (such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Rumania, Germany, Poland, Lithuania and the Balkans) as well as other Western, Southern and Northern European coun- tries (Finland, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Sweden, Portugal etc.). The thesis made predictions about the characteristics and trends of overseas manpower supply of Vietnam to the EU market in the coming time as well as recommended some possible solutions. Tran Thi Ai Duc's Ph.D.’s thesis at the Ho Chi Minh National Institute of Politics and Public Administration in 2011 on Vietnam's overseas man- power supply to the Middle East market also systematized the theories of overseas manpower supply; labor supply and labor regulations in the Middle East, with focuses on the Gulf Coast Com- munity (GCC). Building on the overseas manpower supply experiences of some countries in Asia as well as the study on the status of overseas manpow- er supply activities of Vietnam to the Middle East market, the author made assessments on causes of the shortcomings and problems in overseas man- power supply from Vietnam to this market in the past time. Accordingly, the author made predictions and solutions to promote overseas manpower supply activities from Vietnam to the Middle East market in the future. The research by the Globalization and Liveli- hood Options for People Living with Poverty (GLOPP) 2007 provided an overview on immigra- tion theories such as classical immigration theory (considering migration as a result of differences in wages, working conditions etc. between countries), world system theory as a necessary consequence of economic globalization, traction-driven model, decision-making model, etc. World Bank Report on Migration and Remit- tances (2012) released statistics on the number of remittances transferred to developing countries in 2011; the list of the 10 largest countries receiving remittances; forecasting the amount of remittances in the coming year; the benefits of international migration in general and remittances in particular; especially the World Bank initiatives in research programs on migration and remittances. A working paper by Dang Nguyen Anh (2008) on migration workers from Vietnam - policy and practice issues, examined the overseas manpower supply policies of the Government of Vietnam, the situation of Vietnamese overseas manpower supply activities in key markets, wage rates in markets, evidence of problems such as labor abuses, labor absconding, and the shortcomings of Vietnamese overseas manpower suppliers. The author put forward the core viewpoint to improve the efficien- cy of overseas manpower supply activities. All these researches have well presented the situation of Vietnamese labors in host markets as well as the problems related to exporting low-skilled or unskilled labors. Some research also gave solutions to improve the effectiveness of the overseas manpower supply business and of which, improving the labor force quality emerged as a major solution. However, those solutions pointed directly to the macro management, while the exported labors or technical trainees, the main object of the program, can improve the situation just by improving themselves. To increase the effectiveness and success of the program, factors should be considered at the individual level such as trainees’ self-awareness, orientation, language skills, trainee’s plan, participating in Japanese national occupational examination or working conditions. These factors have been identified through the observations of several exported train- ees’ cases and findings from relevant research such as the research by Nawawi (2010) on plan after coming back home, or Carlson and Rotondo (2001), Kim, Mone and Kim (2008), Danziger, Rachman-Moore and Valency, (2008) on career orientation etc. Research Methodology Built on the studies of past research and observa- tions of some specific cases, five factors have been identified as the main factors that might have an influence on the success of the technical trainee program. Thus, a research model has been estab- lished with five independent variables and one dependent variable. Five independent variables include: Self-awareness: defined as the awareness of each trainee about the program’s general objectives and the trainee’s personal objectives and roles. The self-awareness helps an individual to create clearer perceptions of internal states, emotions, and traits (Shelley Duval and Robert Wicklund, 1972 and 2001). Therefore, when a trainee focuses attention on the self, he/she compares his/her self with these standards and thus be encouraged to try harder to meet these standards and shows stronger emotional responses to a meeting or failing to meet a standard. Orientation and Japanese teaching: It are impor- tant that trainees receive an adequate orientation about the time they work and live in Japan. This will include the requirements for working in a Japa- nese workplace, dos and don’ts at a Japanese work- place, hints for developing the trainee’s personal development plan, Japanese teaching, etc. This issue has been mentioned in several pieces of research on exported labors and technical trainees such as the research by Doan Thi Yen (2014) or Ho Lu Lam Tran (2015). Technical trainee plan: Through observations on several exported labors in Vietnam, it is noticeable that no trainee had any plan for pre-departure, on duty and when coming back to Vietnam. The research by Nawawi (2010) touched upon the plan- ning of exported labors after coming back to Indo- nesia and showed that a clear plan might contribute to the success of a technical trainee program. Preparation for Japanese language proficiency and national technical tests: In Japan, there are examinations for a national license on each specific occupation such as the national license for nurse’s aid. Through some quick informal interviews with some trainees who have finished their trainee program and gone back to Vietnam, Japanese national tests for occupation license contributed greatly to the development of the trainee’s career path after finishing the trainee program. Besides, trainees are also required to reach N3 of the Japa- nese language after 6 months of coming to Japan. Working conditions: The working conditions and their relations to the will and devotion of the worker have been studied in several pieces of research such as Danica Bakotić (2013), which stated that difficult working conditions could nega- tively influence employees’ performances, or Gawel (1997), Atambo et. al., (2012), Abugre (2012), Bartol and Locke (2000). The independent variable is the success of the technical trainee program by JITCO. Although JITCO program has been mentioned in several pieces of research on exported labors to Japan (Nawawi (2010), Tran (2015), Yen (2014) etc.), its effectiveness or impact has not been assessed or analyzed. This model will contribute to setting up new knowledge of this program. Research hypotheses were developed accordingly: - There is a significant positive relationship between self-awareness and successful technical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between orientation and Japanese language training and successful technical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between technical trainee plan and successful tech- nical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between preparation for Japanese language profi- ciency test and Japan national technical test and successful technical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between working conditions and successful techni- cal training program. Research Design The paper employed a mixed research design, which includes a survey and interviews. The research design also provided an in-depth under- standing of the influence of different factors on the success of the technical trainee program by JITCO. The study adopted a cross-section survey to obtain data from a target population of 21,567 technical trainees with a sampling frame of 350 trainees chosen through a purposive random sampling tech- nique (Sekaran, 2009). A purposive sampling tech- nique was used as to ensure that the picked sample would provide the required specific and relevant information for the paper. Data were obtained by employing a survey questionnaire administered to all the 350 trainees and received 327 eligible responses, giving a response rate of 93.4 percent. Data Collection The data for the paper were gathered based on both primary and secondary sources through a self-explanatory questionnaire. The survey question- naire had twenty items on the Likert scale that sought for the employee responses on the same. Data Analysis and Presentation Data were thematically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences guided by the research questions of this paper. Descriptive statistical techniques, such as percentages and frequencies, were used to analyze data while the representation of data was done using tables and graphs. Data Analysis and Findings Data Analysis The Cronbach’s Alpha (α) was used to test the reliability of the research variables and variable items. The results of Cronbach’s Alpha testing are as below: To assess the normality of primary data, Figure 2 below indicates a histogram of normal P-P plot for regression standardized residual (Sahin and Thompson, 2007). The normal plot of regression standardized residuals for the dependent variable from five independent variables indicates a relatively normal distribution. Therefore, paramet- ric tests can be applied to primary data. The dependent variable is defined as the success of the technical trainee program. Demographic characteristics The respondents participated in this survey are technical trainees, of which 120 have finished the program and 207 are participating in an orientation and Japanese course for 4 months before going to Japan. Their demographic characteristics are quite diversified as below: It is noticeable that all trainees who have finished their trainee program have Japanese N3, while none of the respondents in the preparation stage has Japanese above N4. This observation suggests that trainees can improve their Japanese when working in Japan. Descriptive analysis of the influencing factors Descriptive analysis of each indicator under the five potential influencing factors of the success of the technical trainee program shows a high percent- age of agreeing and strongly agreeing with the statement in general. The Table below summarizes the view of respondents on specific indicators of the five potential influencing factors. .+2$+&9j&1*1*+…ụ1*ụ Taùp chớ .LQKQJKLầP7KõFWLặQ 49SỐ 4 (2018) Introduction Research Background Sending labors to more developed countries to work is an important strategy for human resources quality development and income generation in Vietnam. There are about 800 thousand Vietnamese workers working in 30 different occupational cate- gories in 40 countries and territories. Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia are the main countries that outsource labors from Vietnam. Annually, exported workers’ income increases quickly, and as a result, these workers send back to Vietnam USD 1.8 to 2 billion annually, contributing to improving their families’ well-being as well as developing the country. Overseas manpower supplying has been giving many benefits to the labors themselves as well as to Vietnam. Through overseas manpower supply, the State may aim at macro objectives to improve the labor quality, labor productivity, or to enhance international cooperation; while the labor first priority is to generate as much incomes as possible. Depending on the laws and income standards of the receiving countries as well as the binding contract, labors will be selected to work in the receiving countries in a predetermined time with a certain contracted income. The labor’s income will increase gradually based on their productivity and performance. After three years of working, which is the usual contract duration, a worker can make a quite substantial earning, 10 or 15 times of their original income if they chose to work at home. This saving can help change the worker’s life or help them start their own business when coming back. Moreover, technical trainees from Vietnam can make the most advantages from the time working in Japan as this program can help them to develop some core working skills, which are now consid- ered requirements, such as communication and time-management skills, better self-confidence and better self-motivation (Gill and Lashine, 2003; Dennis, 1996). Work experience through co-opera- tive programs also provide credible means for softening the reality shock of transitioning from the world of academics to the working world. (Garavan and Murphy, 2001; Collin and Tynjalla, 2003). In fact, internships improve job opportunities for students since these opportunities allow them to sharpen their job skills and work values, to focus on their career choices, to directly access job sources, and even to impress potential employers. As a result, students who had internships' experiences tend to find jobs more quickly upon graduation than students who did not (Knouse et al., 1999). For Vietnam, overseas manpower supply helps resolving the immediate issues related to jobs creat- ing and increasing foreign currencies. As an estimate, it will cost USD 2000 to 2500 to create a new job in Vietnam excluding the cost of land used for building workstation. Therefore, the Govern- ment may save a remarkable amount of investment capital. The annual average state management cost for each labor is USD 30 while the annual average state income from exporting each labor is USD 37.6, which is a very high investment rate. The Stage budget also generates hundreds of millions of dollars through social insurance fees, income tax, enterprise tax from overseas manpower supply enterprises, fees from licensing for overseas man- power supply, the fees for licensing contract or visa fees, etc. In recent years, Vietnam is shifting its objectives much towards building long-term impacts rather than just focusing on immediate objectives, which are jobs creating and income generating. These more long-term objectives include improving the labor quality and labor productivity as well as enhancing the human resources development through overseas manpower supply and exchange programs. The Government of Vietnam is prioritiz- ing labor exchange programs in which through work, workers can develop their technical knowl- edge, occupational skills and basic skills for future career building beside traditional factors including jobs and higher income. Japan appears to be the ideal market which can help Vietnam to achieve almost all of these objectives with many overseas manpower supply programs helping labors to improve their technical skills through working. The most noticeable is the Technical Trainee Training Program by Japan International Technical Coopera- tion Organization (JITCO). In this program, Vietnamese technicians will participate in trainee programs in associated com- panies in Japan for some years to study and develop foundational skills and knowledge. After that, when being qualified, they will turn back to Vietnam and work as core technicians in companies in Vietnam. This is a good way to develop a highly qualified labor force for Vietnam, and indeed lots of Viet- namese technicians have been benefited from these programs. From 1998 to 2016, there have been 157,907 workers sent to Japan through technical trainee programs by JITCO (DOLAB, 2016). In the year 2016 alone, there are 21,063 Vietnamese train- ees (DOLAB, 2016), which accounted for 42% of total trainees of JITCO Program. The technical trainee program by JITCO is a 36-month program with detailed activities for tech- nical trainees since their first days in Japan till the day they come back to home country. This program will be the most effective if trainees are well prepared before joining the program with a period of orientation. In which, trainees will be explained and oriented carefully about the long-term benefits they would receive and their responsibilities so that they can take the most advantage of the program. Problem Statement/ Research question Through JITCO Program, many technical train- ees have been doing well and taken the most advan- tages of the programs. Nevertheless, there are still a few gaps that make these programs ineffective. The purpose of these programs is to transfer Skills to Technical Trainees who will form a basis of economic development in their respective coun- tries and play an important role in Japan's interna- tional cooperation and contribution. However, some Vietnamese technicians and program coordi- nators are making these programs become profita- ble manpower supply channels. Many technical trainees see this as a chance to go to developed countries like Japan and work for better money (Nguyen Thi Hong Bich, 2011). They fail to see the long-term benefits of grasping skills and knowl- edge to reach the professional level, which will be very good for their future career path. Furthermore, as some of them even have to pay for Vietnamese coordinators to get a slot on the programs, they have to get the money back and make as much money as they can as soon as they arrive Japan (Nguyen Tiep, 2007). As a a result, there have been many cases where Vietnamese workers choose to leave their contracted companies in Japan to work outside freely and illegally. This makes the bilateral cooperation meaningless and causes a lot of bad consequences related to the free and illegal Viet- namese labor force in Japan. Therefore, this paper will seek to answer the question “what are the factors that might have an influence on the success of a technical trainee taking part in the technical trainee program by JITCO?” Literature Review Human resources development through Techni- cal Trainee Program is still a controversial activity which attracts many researchers and institutions to study deeply on this technical trainee program, especially in terms of working conditions, labor rights and the possibility of developing the human resource. Nawawi (2010), in his study on the reality of Indonesian technical trainees, after conducting interviews with several trainees after finishing their trainee program from Japan, found some negative sides of the program in terms of working condi- tions, wage, saving, the transfer of technical knowl- edge and skills, and workers’ plans for the post-pro- gram. Nawawi discovered that although the train- ing program for foreigners has been instituted under the slogan of making international contribu- tions and helping developing nations improve human resources, however, in reality, the so-called trainees and technical trainees are being exploited to make up for the labor shortage. In addition, they are paid with low wages and are forced to take unproductive jobs, which are unconnected to their training. In some cases, trainees are forced to receive “training” outside of work hours and over the holidays. This contributes greatly to the “run-away” or “disappearing” of some trainees when in Japan (Nawawi, 2010). Nawawi’s research also revealed that many respondents felt disap- pointed regarding the fact that there were no new skills or techniques acquired during the training program. In terms of wage, the research showed that after becoming technical trainees, the number of monthly wages received varies and mostly higher than wages received in the first year. Those who work overtime received wages and allowance higher than those who were working for a company that did not offer overtime works. Therefore, it was indicated that Indonesian workers in Japan were able to save some of their salaries even though they received a monthly wage much lower than an aver- age Japanese worker as instructed in the Ministry of Justice guidelines. However, the survey shows that the majority of Indonesian trainees planned to develop their own businesses after completing the training program in Japan (43%), though they were not sure about what types of business they were going to conduct. In general, the research touched the main factors of a technical trainee program, which are also the objectives of the program. How- ever, it neither assesses the success of the program nor gives implications for the program to be more effective and successful. Doan Thi Yen and Nguyen Thi Minh Hien in 2014 conducted a study on the awareness raising and orientation with 200 exported labors to Japan (of which 120 had finished the program and 80 were still in Japan), and found that the majority of workers thought that their skills (67%) and aware- ness (54.5%) is better than before training and education. However, many workers thought that although their skills and awareness had been improved through training, their occupational skills could not meet the requirements of the employers (24.5%), and they could not also acquire enough knowledge and understanding to perform their work (45.1%). Especially, only 28.9% said their Japanese was better than before being trained, while 69.7% said their Japanese have improved but not quite satisfactory. The research also touched upon reasons to exported labors terminating their contracts before the due date. These link directly to the orientation and training for exported labors before going to work in Japan. The researcher sum- marized the causes of labor terminating their contracts before due date and found that only 16% of the labors volunteered to resign ahead of time, the rest were forced to resign due to poor Japanese and occupational skills (49%), disciplinary offenses (12.5%), absconding (12.5%) and inadequate health (10%). This result showed the low quality of labor selection and training of overseas manpower supplying countries. Reasons for this might include enterprises did not conduct a proper recruitment process to select appropriate candidates, enterprises applied for poorly designed training programs, training coordinators were weak in occupational expertise and teaching skills. Although the researchers conducted an empirical research on exported labors to Japan, they focused on all types of overseas manpower supplying programs and did not look into factors that might help these programs to be more effective and beneficial to the labors themselves. Many other researchers also looked at the issue from different perspectives. A thesis on political economy at Hanoi National Economics University in 2009 by Tran Xuan Tho on Vietnam's overseas manpower supply to the EU market systematized theories of overseas supplying labor force. This paper also gave an overview of the EU labor market and its relations with Vietnam, and especially the Vietnam's manpower supply status to the EU market. The thesis focused in detail on the Central and Eastern European countries (such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Rumania, Germany, Poland, Lithuania and the Balkans) as well as other Western, Southern and Northern European coun- tries (Finland, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Sweden, Portugal etc.). The thesis made predictions about the characteristics and trends of overseas manpower supply of Vietnam to the EU market in the coming time as well as recommended some possible solutions. Tran Thi Ai Duc's Ph.D.’s thesis at the Ho Chi Minh National Institute of Politics and Public Administration in 2011 on Vietnam's overseas man- power supply to the Middle East market also systematized the theories of overseas manpower supply; labor supply and labor regulations in the Middle East, with focuses on the Gulf Coast Com- munity (GCC). Building on the overseas manpower supply experiences of some countries in Asia as well as the study on the status of overseas manpow- er supply activities of Vietnam to the Middle East market, the author made assessments on causes of the shortcomings and problems in overseas man- power supply from Vietnam to this market in the past time. Accordingly, the author made predictions and solutions to promote overseas manpower supply activities from Vietnam to the Middle East market in the future. The research by the Globalization and Liveli- hood Options for People Living with Poverty (GLOPP) 2007 provided an overview on immigra- tion theories such as classical immigration theory (considering migration as a result of differences in wages, working conditions etc. between countries), world system theory as a necessary consequence of economic globalization, traction-driven model, decision-making model, etc. World Bank Report on Migration and Remit- tances (2012) released statistics on the number of remittances transferred to developing countries in 2011; the list of the 10 largest countries receiving remittances; forecasting the amount of remittances in the coming year; the benefits of international migration in general and remittances in particular; especially the World Bank initiatives in research programs on migration and remittances. A working paper by Dang Nguyen Anh (2008) on migration workers from Vietnam - policy and practice issues, examined the overseas manpower supply policies of the Government of Vietnam, the situation of Vietnamese overseas manpower supply activities in key markets, wage rates in markets, evidence of problems such as labor abuses, labor absconding, and the shortcomings of Vietnamese overseas manpower suppliers. The author put forward the core viewpoint to improve the efficien- cy of overseas manpower supply activities. All these researches have well presented the situation of Vietnamese labors in host markets as well as the problems related to exporting low-skilled or unskilled labors. Some research also gave solutions to improve the effectiveness of the overseas manpower supply business and of which, improving the labor force quality emerged as a major solution. However, those solutions pointed directly to the macro management, while the exported labors or technical trainees, the main object of the program, can improve the situation just by improving themselves. To increase the effectiveness and success of the program, factors should be considered at the individual level such as trainees’ self-awareness, orientation, language skills, trainee’s plan, participating in Japanese national occupational examination or working conditions. These factors have been identified through the observations of several exported train- ees’ cases and findings from relevant research such as the research by Nawawi (2010) on plan after coming back home, or Carlson and Rotondo (2001), Kim, Mone and Kim (2008), Danziger, Rachman-Moore and Valency, (2008) on career orientation etc. Research Methodology Built on the studies of past research and observa- tions of some specific cases, five factors have been identified as the main factors that might have an influence on the success of the technical trainee program. Thus, a research model has been estab- lished with five independent variables and one dependent variable. Five independent variables include: Self-awareness: defined as the awareness of each trainee about the program’s general objectives and the trainee’s personal objectives and roles. The self-awareness helps an individual to create clearer perceptions of internal states, emotions, and traits (Shelley Duval and Robert Wicklund, 1972 and 2001). Therefore, when a trainee focuses attention on the self, he/she compares his/her self with these standards and thus be encouraged to try harder to meet these standards and shows stronger emotional responses to a meeting or failing to meet a standard. Orientation and Japanese teaching: It are impor- tant that trainees receive an adequate orientation about the time they work and live in Japan. This will include the requirements for working in a Japa- nese workplace, dos and don’ts at a Japanese work- place, hints for developing the trainee’s personal development plan, Japanese teaching, etc. This issue has been mentioned in several pieces of research on exported labors and technical trainees such as the research by Doan Thi Yen (2014) or Ho Lu Lam Tran (2015). Technical trainee plan: Through observations on several exported labors in Vietnam, it is noticeable that no trainee had any plan for pre-departure, on duty and when coming back to Vietnam. The research by Nawawi (2010) touched upon the plan- ning of exported labors after coming back to Indo- nesia and showed that a clear plan might contribute to the success of a technical trainee program. Preparation for Japanese language proficiency and national technical tests: In Japan, there are examinations for a national license on each specific occupation such as the national license for nurse’s aid. Through some quick informal interviews with some trainees who have finished their trainee program and gone back to Vietnam, Japanese national tests for occupation license contributed greatly to the development of the trainee’s career path after finishing the trainee program. Besides, trainees are also required to reach N3 of the Japa- nese language after 6 months of coming to Japan. Working conditions: The working conditions and their relations to the will and devotion of the worker have been studied in several pieces of research such as Danica Bakotić (2013), which stated that difficult working conditions could nega- tively influence employees’ performances, or Gawel (1997), Atambo et. al., (2012), Abugre (2012), Bartol and Locke (2000). The independent variable is the success of the technical trainee program by JITCO. Although JITCO program has been mentioned in several pieces of research on exported labors to Japan (Nawawi (2010), Tran (2015), Yen (2014) etc.), its effectiveness or impact has not been assessed or analyzed. This model will contribute to setting up new knowledge of this program. Research hypotheses were developed accordingly: - There is a significant positive relationship between self-awareness and successful technical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between orientation and Japanese language training and successful technical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between technical trainee plan and successful tech- nical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between preparation for Japanese language profi- ciency test and Japan national technical test and successful technical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between working conditions and successful techni- cal training program. Research Design The paper employed a mixed research design, which includes a survey and interviews. The research design also provided an in-depth under- standing of the influence of different factors on the success of the technical trainee program by JITCO. The study adopted a cross-section survey to obtain data from a target population of 21,567 technical trainees with a sampling frame of 350 trainees chosen through a purposive random sampling tech- nique (Sekaran, 2009). A purposive sampling tech- nique was used as to ensure that the picked sample would provide the required specific and relevant information for the paper. Data were obtained by employing a survey questionnaire administered to all the 350 trainees and received 327 eligible responses, giving a response rate of 93.4 percent. Data Collection The data for the paper were gathered based on both primary and secondary sources through a self-explanatory questionnaire. The survey question- naire had twenty items on the Likert scale that sought for the employee responses on the same. Data Analysis and Presentation Data were thematically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences guided by the research questions of this paper. Descriptive statistical techniques, such as percentages and frequencies, were used to analyze data while the representation of data was done using tables and graphs. Data Analysis and Findings Data Analysis The Cronbach’s Alpha (α) was used to test the reliability of the research variables and variable items. The results of Cronbach’s Alpha testing are as below: To assess the normality of primary data, Figure 2 below indicates a histogram of normal P-P plot for regression standardized residual (Sahin and Thompson, 2007). The normal plot of regression standardized residuals for the dependent variable from five independent variables indicates a relatively normal distribution. Therefore, paramet- ric tests can be applied to primary data. The dependent variable is defined as the success of the technical trainee program. Demographic characteristics The respondents participated in this survey are technical trainees, of which 120 have finished the program and 207 are participating in an orientation and Japanese course for 4 months before going to Japan. Their demographic characteristics are quite diversified as below: It is noticeable that all trainees who have finished their trainee program have Japanese N3, while none of the respondents in the preparation stage has Japanese above N4. This observation suggests that trainees can improve their Japanese when working in Japan. Descriptive analysis of the influencing factors Descriptive analysis of each indicator under the five potential influencing factors of the success of the technical trainee program shows a high percent- age of agreeing and strongly agreeing with the statement in general. The Table below summarizes the view of respondents on specific indicators of the five potential influencing factors. .+2$+&9j&1*1*+…ụ1*ụ Taùp chớ .LQKQJKLầP7KõFWLặQ 50 SỐ 4 (2018) Introduction Research Background Sending labors to more developed countries to work is an important strategy for human resources quality development and income generation in Vietnam. There are about 800 thousand Vietnamese workers working in 30 different occupational cate- gories in 40 countries and territories. Korea, Japan, Taiwan, and Malaysia are the main countries that outsource labors from Vietnam. Annually, exported workers’ income increases quickly, and as a result, these workers send back to Vietnam USD 1.8 to 2 billion annually, contributing to improving their families’ well-being as well as developing the country. Overseas manpower supplying has been giving many benefits to the labors themselves as well as to Vietnam. Through overseas manpower supply, the State may aim at macro objectives to improve the labor quality, labor productivity, or to enhance international cooperation; while the labor first priority is to generate as much incomes as possible. Depending on the laws and income standards of the receiving countries as well as the binding contract, labors will be selected to work in the receiving countries in a predetermined time with a certain contracted income. The labor’s income will increase gradually based on their productivity and performance. After three years of working, which is the usual contract duration, a worker can make a quite substantial earning, 10 or 15 times of their original income if they chose to work at home. This saving can help change the worker’s life or help them start their own business when coming back. Moreover, technical trainees from Vietnam can make the most advantages from the time working in Japan as this program can help them to develop some core working skills, which are now consid- ered requirements, such as communication and time-management skills, better self-confidence and better self-motivation (Gill and Lashine, 2003; Dennis, 1996). Work experience through co-opera- tive programs also provide credible means for softening the reality shock of transitioning from the world of academics to the working world. (Garavan and Murphy, 2001; Collin and Tynjalla, 2003). In fact, internships improve job opportunities for students since these opportunities allow them to sharpen their job skills and work values, to focus on their career choices, to directly access job sources, and even to impress potential employers. As a result, students who had internships' experiences Figure 1: Research framework tend to find jobs more quickly upon graduation than students who did not (Knouse et al., 1999). For Vietnam, overseas manpower supply helps resolving the immediate issues related to jobs creat- ing and increasing foreign currencies. As an estimate, it will cost USD 2000 to 2500 to create a new job in Vietnam excluding the cost of land used for building workstation. Therefore, the Govern- ment may save a remarkable amount of investment capital. The annual average state management cost for each labor is USD 30 while the annual average state income from exporting each labor is USD 37.6, which is a very high investment rate. The Stage budget also generates hundreds of millions of dollars through social insurance fees, income tax, enterprise tax from overseas manpower supply enterprises, fees from licensing for overseas man- power supply, the fees for licensing contract or visa fees, etc. In recent years, Vietnam is shifting its objectives much towards building long-term impacts rather than just focusing on immediate objectives, which are jobs creating and income generating. These more long-term objectives include improving the labor quality and labor productivity as well as enhancing the human resources development through overseas manpower supply and exchange programs. The Government of Vietnam is prioritiz- ing labor exchange programs in which through work, workers can develop their technical knowl- edge, occupational skills and basic skills for future career building beside traditional factors including jobs and higher income. Japan appears to be the ideal market which can help Vietnam to achieve almost all of these objectives with many overseas manpower supply programs helping labors to improve their technical skills through working. The most noticeable is the Technical Trainee Training Program by Japan International Technical Coopera- tion Organization (JITCO). In this program, Vietnamese technicians will participate in trainee programs in associated com- panies in Japan for some years to study and develop foundational skills and knowledge. After that, when being qualified, they will turn back to Vietnam and work as core technicians in companies in Vietnam. This is a good way to develop a highly qualified labor force for Vietnam, and indeed lots of Viet- namese technicians have been benefited from these programs. From 1998 to 2016, there have been 157,907 workers sent to Japan through technical trainee programs by JITCO (DOLAB, 2016). In the year 2016 alone, there are 21,063 Vietnamese train- ees (DOLAB, 2016), which accounted for 42% of total trainees of JITCO Program. The technical trainee program by JITCO is a 36-month program with detailed activities for tech- nical trainees since their first days in Japan till the day they come back to home country. This program will be the most effective if trainees are well prepared before joining the program with a period of orientation. In which, trainees will be explained and oriented carefully about the long-term benefits they would receive and their responsibilities so that they can take the most advantage of the program. Problem Statement/ Research question Through JITCO Program, many technical train- ees have been doing well and taken the most advan- tages of the programs. Nevertheless, there are still a few gaps that make these programs ineffective. The purpose of these programs is to transfer Skills to Technical Trainees who will form a basis of economic development in their respective coun- tries and play an important role in Japan's interna- tional cooperation and contribution. However, some Vietnamese technicians and program coordi- nators are making these programs become profita- ble manpower supply channels. Many technical trainees see this as a chance to go to developed countries like Japan and work for better money (Nguyen Thi Hong Bich, 2011). They fail to see the long-term benefits of grasping skills and knowl- edge to reach the professional level, which will be very good for their future career path. Furthermore, as some of them even have to pay for Vietnamese coordinators to get a slot on the programs, they have to get the money back and make as much money as they can as soon as they arrive Japan (Nguyen Tiep, 2007). As a a result, there have been many cases where Vietnamese workers choose to leave their contracted companies in Japan to work outside freely and illegally. This makes the bilateral cooperation meaningless and causes a lot of bad consequences related to the free and illegal Viet- namese labor force in Japan. Therefore, this paper will seek to answer the question “what are the factors that might have an influence on the success of a technical trainee taking part in the technical trainee program by JITCO?” Literature Review Human resources development through Techni- cal Trainee Program is still a controversial activity which attracts many researchers and institutions to study deeply on this technical trainee program, especially in terms of working conditions, labor rights and the possibility of developing the human resource. Nawawi (2010), in his study on the reality of Indonesian technical trainees, after conducting interviews with several trainees after finishing their trainee program from Japan, found some negative sides of the program in terms of working condi- tions, wage, saving, the transfer of technical knowl- edge and skills, and workers’ plans for the post-pro- gram. Nawawi discovered that although the train- ing program for foreigners has been instituted under the slogan of making international contribu- tions and helping developing nations improve human resources, however, in reality, the so-called trainees and technical trainees are being exploited to make up for the labor shortage. In addition, they are paid with low wages and are forced to take unproductive jobs, which are unconnected to their training. In some cases, trainees are forced to receive “training” outside of work hours and over the holidays. This contributes greatly to the “run-away” or “disappearing” of some trainees when in Japan (Nawawi, 2010). Nawawi’s research also revealed that many respondents felt disap- pointed regarding the fact that there were no new skills or techniques acquired during the training program. In terms of wage, the research showed that after becoming technical trainees, the number of monthly wages received varies and mostly higher than wages received in the first year. Those who work overtime received wages and allowance higher than those who were working for a company that did not offer overtime works. Therefore, it was indicated that Indonesian workers in Japan were able to save some of their salaries even though they received a monthly wage much lower than an aver- age Japanese worker as instructed in the Ministry of Justice guidelines. However, the survey shows that the majority of Indonesian trainees planned to develop their own businesses after completing the training program in Japan (43%), though they were not sure about what types of business they were going to conduct. In general, the research touched the main factors of a technical trainee program, which are also the objectives of the program. How- ever, it neither assesses the success of the program nor gives implications for the program to be more effective and successful. Doan Thi Yen and Nguyen Thi Minh Hien in 2014 conducted a study on the awareness raising and orientation with 200 exported labors to Japan (of which 120 had finished the program and 80 were still in Japan), and found that the majority of workers thought that their skills (67%) and aware- ness (54.5%) is better than before training and education. However, many workers thought that although their skills and awareness had been improved through training, their occupational skills could not meet the requirements of the employers (24.5%), and they could not also acquire enough knowledge and understanding to perform their work (45.1%). Especially, only 28.9% said their Japanese was better than before being trained, while 69.7% said their Japanese have improved but not quite satisfactory. The research also touched upon reasons to exported labors terminating their contracts before the due date. These link directly to the orientation and training for exported labors before going to work in Japan. The researcher sum- marized the causes of labor terminating their contracts before due date and found that only 16% of the labors volunteered to resign ahead of time, the rest were forced to resign due to poor Japanese and occupational skills (49%), disciplinary offenses (12.5%), absconding (12.5%) and inadequate health (10%). This result showed the low quality of labor selection and training of overseas manpower supplying countries. Reasons for this might include enterprises did not conduct a proper recruitment process to select appropriate candidates, enterprises applied for poorly designed training programs, training coordinators were weak in occupational expertise and teaching skills. Although the researchers conducted an empirical research on exported labors to Japan, they focused on all types of overseas manpower supplying programs and did not look into factors that might help these programs to be more effective and beneficial to the labors themselves. Many other researchers also looked at the issue from different perspectives. A thesis on political economy at Hanoi National Economics University in 2009 by Tran Xuan Tho on Vietnam's overseas manpower supply to the EU market systematized theories of overseas supplying labor force. This paper also gave an overview of the EU labor market and its relations with Vietnam, and especially the Vietnam's manpower supply status to the EU market. The thesis focused in detail on the Central and Eastern European countries (such as the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Rumania, Germany, Poland, Lithuania and the Balkans) as well as other Western, Southern and Northern European coun- tries (Finland, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Sweden, Portugal etc.). The thesis made predictions about the characteristics and trends of overseas manpower supply of Vietnam to the EU market in the coming time as well as recommended some possible solutions. Tran Thi Ai Duc's Ph.D.’s thesis at the Ho Chi Minh National Institute of Politics and Public Administration in 2011 on Vietnam's overseas man- power supply to the Middle East market also systematized the theories of overseas manpower supply; labor supply and labor regulations in the Middle East, with focuses on the Gulf Coast Com- munity (GCC). Building on the overseas manpower supply experiences of some countries in Asia as well as the study on the status of overseas manpow- er supply activities of Vietnam to the Middle East market, the author made assessments on causes of the shortcomings and problems in overseas man- power supply from Vietnam to this market in the past time. Accordingly, the author made predictions and solutions to promote overseas manpower supply activities from Vietnam to the Middle East market in the future. The research by the Globalization and Liveli- hood Options for People Living with Poverty (GLOPP) 2007 provided an overview on immigra- tion theories such as classical immigration theory (considering migration as a result of differences in wages, working conditions etc. between countries), world system theory as a necessary consequence of economic globalization, traction-driven model, decision-making model, etc. World Bank Report on Migration and Remit- tances (2012) released statistics on the number of remittances transferred to developing countries in 2011; the list of the 10 largest countries receiving remittances; forecasting the amount of remittances in the coming year; the benefits of international migration in general and remittances in particular; especially the World Bank initiatives in research programs on migration and remittances. A working paper by Dang Nguyen Anh (2008) on migration workers from Vietnam - policy and practice issues, examined the overseas manpower supply policies of the Government of Vietnam, the situation of Vietnamese overseas manpower supply activities in key markets, wage rates in markets, evidence of problems such as labor abuses, labor absconding, and the shortcomings of Vietnamese overseas manpower suppliers. The author put forward the core viewpoint to improve the efficien- cy of overseas manpower supply activities. All these researches have well presented the situation of Vietnamese labors in host markets as well as the problems related to exporting low-skilled or unskilled labors. Some research also gave solutions to improve the effectiveness of the overseas manpower supply business and of which, improving the labor force quality emerged as a major solution. However, those solutions pointed directly to the macro management, while the exported labors or technical trainees, the main object of the program, can improve the situation just by improving themselves. To increase the effectiveness and success of the program, factors should be considered at the individual level such as trainees’ self-awareness, orientation, language skills, trainee’s plan, participating in Japanese national occupational examination or working conditions. These factors have been identified through the observations of several exported train- ees’ cases and findings from relevant research such as the research by Nawawi (2010) on plan after coming back home, or Carlson and Rotondo (2001), Kim, Mone and Kim (2008), Danziger, Rachman-Moore and Valency, (2008) on career orientation etc. Research Methodology Built on the studies of past research and observa- tions of some specific cases, five factors have been identified as the main factors that might have an influence on the success of the technical trainee program. Thus, a research model has been estab- lished with five independent variables and one dependent variable. Five independent variables include: Self-awareness: defined as the awareness of each trainee about the program’s general objectives and the trainee’s personal objectives and roles. The self-awareness helps an individual to create clearer perceptions of internal states, emotions, and traits (Shelley Duval and Robert Wicklund, 1972 and 2001). Therefore, when a trainee focuses attention on the self, he/she compares his/her self with these standards and thus be encouraged to try harder to meet these standards and shows stronger emotional responses to a meeting or failing to meet a standard. Orientation and Japanese teaching: It are impor- tant that trainees receive an adequate orientation about the time they work and live in Japan. This will include the requirements for working in a Japa- nese workplace, dos and don’ts at a Japanese work- place, hints for developing the trainee’s personal development plan, Japanese teaching, etc. This issue has been mentioned in several pieces of research on exported labors and technical trainees such as the research by Doan Thi Yen (2014) or Ho Lu Lam Tran (2015). Technical trainee plan: Through observations on several exported labors in Vietnam, it is noticeable that no trainee had any plan for pre-departure, on duty and when coming back to Vietnam. The research by Nawawi (2010) touched upon the plan- ning of exported labors after coming back to Indo- nesia and showed that a clear plan might contribute to the success of a technical trainee program. Preparation for Japanese language proficiency and national technical tests: In Japan, there are examinations for a national license on each specific occupation such as the national license for nurse’s aid. Through some quick informal interviews with some trainees who have finished their trainee program and gone back to Vietnam, Japanese national tests for occupation license contributed greatly to the development of the trainee’s career path after finishing the trainee program. Besides, trainees are also required to reach N3 of the Japa- nese language after 6 months of coming to Japan. Working conditions: The working conditions and their relations to the will and devotion of the worker have been studied in several pieces of research such as Danica Bakotić (2013), which stated that difficult working conditions could nega- tively influence employees’ performances, or Gawel (1997), Atambo et. al., (2012), Abugre (2012), Bartol and Locke (2000). The independent variable is the success of the technical trainee program by JITCO. Although JITCO program has been mentioned in several pieces of research on exported labors to Japan (Nawawi (2010), Tran (2015), Yen (2014) etc.), its effectiveness or impact has not been assessed or analyzed. This model will contribute to setting up new knowledge of this program. Research hypotheses were developed accordingly: - There is a significant positive relationship between self-awareness and successful technical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between orientation and Japanese language training and successful technical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between technical trainee plan and successful tech- nical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between preparation for Japanese language profi- ciency test and Japan national technical test and successful technical training program. - There is a significant positive relationship between working conditions and successful techni- cal training program. Research Design The paper employed a mixed research design, which includes a survey and interviews. The research design also provided an in-depth under- standing of the influence of different factors on the success of the technical trainee program by JITCO. The study adopted a cross-section survey to obtain data from a target population of 21,567 technical trainees with a sampling frame of 350 trainees chosen through a purposive random sampling tech- nique (Sekaran, 2009). A purposive sampling tech- nique was used as to ensure that the picked sample would provide the required specific and relevant information for the paper. Data were obtained by employing a survey questionnaire administered to all the 350 trainees and received 327 eligible responses, giving a response rate of 93.4 percent. Data Collection The data for the paper were gathered based on both primary and secondary sources through a self-explanatory questionnaire. The survey question- naire had twenty items on the Likert scale that sought for the employee responses on the same. Data Analysis and Presentation Data were thematically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences guided by the research questions of this paper. Descriptive statistical techniques, such as percentages and frequencies, were used to analyze data while the representation of data was done using tables and graphs. Data Analysis and Findings Data Analysis The Cronbach’s Alpha (α) was used to test the reliability of the research variables and variable items. The results of Cronbach’s Alpha testing are as below: To assess the normality of primary data, Figure 2 below indicates a histogram of normal P-P plot for regression standardized residual (Sahin and Thompson, 2007). The normal plot of regression standardized residuals for the dependent variable from five independent variables indicates a relatively normal distribution. Therefore, paramet- ric tests can be applied to primary data. The dependent variable is defined as the success of the technical trainee program. Demographic characteristics The respondents participated in this survey are technical trainees, of which 120 have finished the program and 207 are participating in an orientation and Japanese course for 4 months before going to Japan. Their demographic characteristics are quite diversified as below: It is noticeable that all trainees who have finished their trainee program have Japanese N3, while none of the respondents in the preparation stage has Japanese above N4. This observation suggests that trainees can improve their Japanese when working in Japan. Descriptive analysis of the influencing factors Descriptive analysis of each indicator under the five potential influencing factors of the success of the technical trainee program shows a high percent- age of agreeing and strongly agreeing with the statement in general. The Table below summarizes the view of respondents on specific indicators of the five potential influencing factors. Self-awareness Orientation and Japanese language Technical trainee plan Preparation for Japan National test Working conditions Success of the technical training .+2$+&9j&1*1*+…ụ1*ụ Taùp chớ .LQKQJKLầP7KõFWLặQ 51SỐ 4 (2018) Introduction Research Background Sending labors to more developed countries to work is an important strategy for human resources quality development and income generation in Vietnam. There are about 800 thousand Vietn