The infrastructure ministry plans to create a database of civil engineers to help small and midsize construction companies find talent as they attempt to expand abroad, sources said Tuesday.
The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry hopes to launch the database in fiscal 2014 to provide such firms with a pool of skilled engineers willing to work on overseas construction projects.
The ministry plans to seek some ¥100 million in budget allocations for fiscal 2013 starting next April for the project under a special spending quota for measures to revive the country’s economy.
The database will include the profiles of Japanese retirees from major Japanese contractors who have experience in overseas construction projects, non-Japanese engineers who have studied civil engineering at universities in Japan, and technical intern trainees in Japan who have learned practical construction skills.
The ministry first plans to build a collection of skilled engineers who can help such companies tap Asian markets growing rapidly on demand for infrastructure.
It hopes to gradually expand the database to include thousands of engineers suited for working in areas such as the Middle East.
The hunt for potential candidates will be conducted with the help of industry groups, such as the Overseas Construction Association of Japan and the Japan Society of Civil Engineers.
The government plans to boost annual orders that the country’s construction industry receives overseas to over ¥2 trillion by fiscal 2020 from about ¥1.35 trillion in fiscal 2011. The target was included in a broader program aimed at reviving the country’s economy, which was adopted last month.
To achieve this target, the ministry believes it is necessary to shore up small and midsize construction firms that are in need of skilled workers.