The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on June 4 sent off the 17th batch of Filipino nurses and certified care workers bound for Japan under the Japan-Philippines Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA).
A total of 218 candidates—19 nurses and 199 care workers—are scheduled to depart for Japan within the month.
The deployment continues the longstanding government-to-government hiring arrangement between the DMW and the Japan International Corporation of Welfare Services (JICWELS), established under the JPEPA signed in 2006.
Since the first batch was deployed in 2009, over 4,000 Filipino nurses and care workers have participated in the program.
Minister Naobumi Yokota of the Embassy of Japan’s Economic Affairs joined DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac, Assistant Secretary Levinson C. Alcantara, Director Rosemarie G. Duquez, and Japan Foundation Manila Director Ben Suzuki in extending their well wishes to the departing candidates during the send-off ceremony.
Before deployment, the candidates completed six months of preparatory Japanese language training in the Philippines, which concluded in May.
Upon arrival in Japan, they will undergo an additional six months of intensive language training, also free of charge and supported by daily living allowances, before beginning assignments in hospitals and caregiving facilities across Japan.
The program also prepares the candidates for licensure exams to qualify as fully licensed nurses and care workers in Japan.
Interested applicants may visit the official DMW website at https://dmw.gov.ph/job-opportunities for updates and information on future application opportunities.
