Shillong :  The Overseas Nursing Job Fair held last year has turned out to be a major turning point for twenty-seven nurses from Meghalaya who are all set to begin their professional journey in Japan after completing Japanese language training.

With their newfound skill, the nurses will be placed across various hospitals and care homes in Japan.As part of the “Skills Meghalaya” scheme, the Government of Meghalaya is sponsoring Rs. 50,000 for each candidate through the Meghalaya State Skill Development Society (MSSDS). This support aims to cover three hundred nurses in the coming years.

Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma met with the teachers and students involved in this initiative. He expressed his pride, stating, “It is great to see nurses from the state move out and serve people overseas. We are sending them with blessings and hope to hear positive stories about them. I also urge others to come forward and take the opportunity not only to earn a livelihood overseas but also, to enhance their knowledge and career.”

The “Skills Meghalaya” initiative, under which this training was conducted, aims to equip the youth with much-needed skills. The program, organized by MSSDS and the Department of Health & Family Welfare, collaborates with potential firms to provide language training and job placement opportunities.

A total of twenty-seven nurses registered with NAVIS for language training and cultural immersion in Bengaluru. Impressively, twenty-five of them cleared the N4 and N5 exams on their first attempt and have received employment offers. Five nurses have already received their visas, and two travelled to Japan on May 27, 2024. The remaining visas are currently being processed.

14 nurses have been placed for various institutes in Singapore as well which is through a different agency. They will join in about 3 months.

The training was conducted by 10 Japanese teachers at NAVIS, a testament to the program’s success. Despite the challenges of learning a new language, the students found the experience rewarding and engaging.

The selection of these nurses followed an Overseas Nursing Job Fair held in August 2023, which saw an overwhelming response with over one thousand registrations from across the state. This initiative is part of a broader effort to provide employment opportunities for nurses and to enhance their professional skills.

Four firms, including NAVIS, have been identified as sending organizations. An MoU was signed with these firms on December 7, 2023, to facilitate language training and job placements in countries such as Japan, the UK, Singapore, and the UAE.