A two member delegation of Association for Overseas Technical Scholarships (AOTS), Japan is arriving here on June 19 to explore the areas of training opportunities under AOTS scheme.
The continual economic growth of Pakistan over the last 5-6 years and the projections for the sustained future growth require serious investments in human capital, a factor always emphasised, but not given due recognition. The AOTS delegation will focus on this aspect in greater detail. Pakistan Japan Business Forum (PJBF) has arranged training programmes for business professionals and engineers.
According to PJBF, besides being committed to enhance bilateral relations for the benefit of both countries' entrepreneurs, the association is also contributing to human resource development, with the active support of AOTS, Japan.
The AOTS delegation members are T.Tanaka and Y. Suzuki. They along with the officials of JETRO, PJBF and AOTS Alumni Society, Karachi will be conducting a briefing session at a local hotel here on June 19.
The objective of session is to mutually find possible areas of co-operation between the trade organisations and AOTS, identify fields and scope of training required for the Pakistani professionals and engineers and finally chalk out a road map to implement such collaboration.
AOTS was established in 1959 with the support of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (which is the present Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) as the first technical co-operation organisation on a private basis in Japan. Its main purpose is to provide international economic co-operation and enhance mutual economic development and friendly relations between those countries and Japan.
The following are main activities of AOTS:
-- Training of engineers and managers from developing countries in Japan.
-- Training of Engineers and Managers in overseas countries, and
-- Management of training (Kenshu) centres in Japan.
In the year of its establishment, AOTS accepted only 43 trainees. At present, however, it receives more than 5,000 trainees in Japan, and, including those who attend overseas training programs as well as distance training programmes, AOTS offers training to more than 14,000 people annually.
To date, AOTS has trained over 129,000 persons in Japan from nearly 170 countries and regions. In addition, it has organised various training programmes outside Japan involving over 159,000 participants from the developing countries. These peoples are actively engaged in the industrial Development of their respective nations.
In Pakistan to date more than 2,000 persons have availed training opportunities under various AOTS training programmes at Japan. Three Alumni Societies are established at Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad.