How Can Japanese Language Education for Employment for Skill Development Be Continued in the Workplace? How to Create a Learning Plan That Balances Work and Study

Before creating a plan, let us clarify the roles of courses required under the system and daily practice.

Point ①: Check the courses required under the system

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (厚生労働省) sets out a step-by-step improvement in proficiency for Japanese language education under Employment for Skill Development. The aim is to connect preparation before starting work with learning while working.

A1 and A2 are indicators in the Japanese Language Education Reference Framework (日本語教育の参照枠) that represent levels of Japanese language proficiency. Check the official materials for the relevant accepting sector to confirm the required level.

The guidance from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare requires accepting companies and other organizations to take measures that enable workers to attend courses, including covering the costs. Check which courses the worker needs, including how passing an examination is treated.

The above information was confirmed as of October 15, 2026. The source is the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare's Initiatives to Improve Japanese Language Proficiency.

Point ②: Use what you learn through workplace practice

At the workplace, connect the words learned in courses to actual instructions and reports. For example, you can practice asking someone to repeat the order of work tasks.

It is important not to assume that workplace conversation practice alone fulfills the course requirements under the system. Confirm the conditions for providing the courses with the educational institution or Supervising and Support Organization (監理支援機関).

If you first want to understand the proficiency levels, check the overall requirements. They are also explained in the related article Japanese Language Requirements for Employment for Skill Development.

First, confirm the required courses and prepare to combine them with workplace practice.

Before selecting learning materials, identify situations in which the worker has difficulties and turn them into specific learning goals.

Step 1: Identify Difficulties Faced by the Worker and in the Workplace

First, ask both the worker and the person responsible for instruction about situations in which communication was difficult. Do not stop at simply judging that the worker is “not good at Japanese.”

• Confirming instructions: Check whether the worker can ask questions to confirm the order of tasks and quantities.
• Reporting: Check whether the worker can explain which tasks have been completed and which remain unfinished.
• Seeking advice: Check whether the worker can explain to the person in charge what they do not understand.
• Understanding notices: Check whether the worker can understand information about required locations and precautions.

Step 2: Write Goals in Terms of Actions the Worker Can Perform

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare provides a goal-setting tool for Japanese language proficiency required in work situations. This resource helps assess what a person can do using Japanese and set goals.

The Ministry presents an approach for selecting the necessary items according to the workplace. For details, please refer to the explanation of the goal-setting tool.

For example, instead of writing “learn how to report,” write can report completed tasks and any difficulties using short phrases. Also record whether assistance such as photographs or rephrasing is needed.

Learning goals should be expressed not only as scores but also as actions the worker wants to become able to perform in the workplace.

Here, we explain how to coordinate training schedules with work and ensure opportunities for learning.

Step 1: Coordinate Work Schedules and Study Plans

Once the training schedule has been decided, share your planned attendance with the person responsible for preparing work schedules. Taking shift work and busy periods into account, also decide who will handle your duties in your place.

The editorial team recommends deciding on training slots and how to make up missed sessions together with the work schedule. Do not rely only on spare time; create a schedule that can actually be followed.

• Training: Share the dates, times, and locations of the training with the person responsible for work schedules.
• Workplace practice: Decide on the work situations in which the expressions learned will be used and the person in charge.
• Make-up sessions: Confirm whom to contact when absent and how to retake the training.
• Learning environment: Check the device, internet connection, audio, and availability of a quiet place to study.

Point 2: Confirm How Training Is Treated as Working Hours

According to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, training that is mandatory for work counts as working hours. This also includes learning required for work under company instructions.

When making this determination, check the actual instructions and obligation to participate, rather than the name given to the learning activity. The source is the Guidelines for Properly Determining Working Hours issued by the Nagano Rodo Kyoku.

Organize how each training session will be conducted and confirm its treatment with the personnel and labor affairs staff. If you are unsure, consult a service counter such as a Rodo Kijun Kantokusho.

When deciding your study schedule, make sure to include work schedule adjustments and its treatment under labor management.

To ensure continuity, decide the areas of responsibility and methods of communication for the people who teach and the people who coordinate work schedules.

Step ① Decide on the Point of Contact and Roles

If the person responsible is unclear, it will also be unclear who should check on absences or delays in understanding. One approach is to organize the roles inside and outside the company as follows.

• Internal coordinator: Coordinates work schedules, the learning environment, and communication with the educational institution.
• Worksite instructor: Practices expressions used at work and communicates any problems.
• Japanese-language educational institution: Discusses the goals and progress of the course.
• The worker: Communicates situations that were difficult and expressions they would like to learn.

This division of roles is an example of internal company operations. It does not replace the division of responsibilities under the system.

When considering an outsourced provider, also check how information will be shared with the workplace. The related article How to Choose a Japanese-Language Education Provider may also be helpful.

Point ② Improve the Language Used by Instructors

The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare also considers it effective for the receiving side to use Easy Japanese. This means choosing words and expressions that are easy for the other person to understand.

At the workplace, you can try breaking long explanations into short parts and presenting them together with photographs or actual objects. To check understanding, it is advisable to ask the worker to explain in their own words what they should do next.

Do not judge understanding based only on a response such as “I understand.” Check which parts of the explanation were understood. Staff members should also share ways of speaking that make it easier for the worker to say when they do not understand.

When coordinating, prepare to use consistent ways of communicating as well as assigning staff members.

This section introduces how to connect learning to the next step by recording course attendance separately from what the learner was able to do in the workplace.

Step 1: Record Course Attendance and Workplace Practice Separately

Internal learning records should document course attendance and changes in behavior. The following is an example of how to complete a record shared among the staff members responsible.

This example record is for internal review. Separately confirm the ledgers and forms required under the system by following the official materials.

Step 2: Review Why Learning Is Not Continuing

If learning is not progressing as planned, the learner and the staff member responsible should identify the causes of the burden or difficulty. Consider changes in work schedules, the difficulty of the learning materials, and the learning environment separately.

During the review, focus on confirming what the learner was able to do and narrowing down the situations to practice next. Do not judge improvement in Japanese-language ability based only on whether the learner attended.

Schedule review dates in advance and bring together the perspectives of the learner, the workplace, and the educational institution. If the goals or implementation methods are changed, record the reasons as well.

Use the records not only for evaluation but also as information for adjusting the next stage of learning.

Japanese language education under Employment for Skill Development (育成就労) should be planned by connecting the training required under the system with practical learning in the workplace. It is important to decide on work arrangements, division of responsibilities, record-keeping, and review.

However, the appropriate approach differs depending on the individual’s Japanese proficiency, duties, and work arrangements. Do not apply a common schedule without changes; adjust it according to how the plan is being implemented.

If you are unsure about an approach suitable for your organization, please consult us about how to structure training and workplace learning.