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How to become a Vocational Training Instructor

Also called: Vocational training instructor (training school for people with disabilities), Vocational training instructor (polytechnic centre), Vocational training instructor (accredited training facility), Vocational training school instructor

Trains people in skills, techniques and specialist knowledge and helps them find work, at public vocational training centres and accredited training facilities.

Main tasks

Workers in this job say university or high school is common. From job tag's survey of people in each job, who could give several answers. It shows what workers see as common, not how many workers hold each level.

How to become one

To become a vocational training instructor you must apply to your prefecture for a vocational training instructor licence. Ways to qualify include (1) completing the instructor training course at the Polytechnic University of Japan, (2) passing a ginou kentei (national trade skills test) under the Human Resources Development Promotion Act and then completing the set course or passing an exam, (3) gaining work experience after university or similar and then completing the set course or passing an exam, and (4) holding an upper secondary school teaching licence in a subject that matches a licensed trade. For public vocational training facilities, recruitment is done by each prefecture or by the Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers. At accredited training facilities run by employers' groups or vocational training corporations, qualified people are sometimes chosen from among the staff of member businesses. Instructors need skills, techniques and knowledge in their field, and as teachers they need to understand trainees and pay close attention to them. Depending on the subject, they spend a lot of time standing during lectures and practical teaching, so a certain level of fitness is also needed. They also need a drive to keep gaining advanced knowledge in their field.

Ways in

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Questions people ask

How do I become a Vocational Training Instructor?

To become a vocational training instructor you must apply to your prefecture for a vocational training instructor licence. Ways to qualify include (1) completing the instructor training course at the Polytechnic University of Japan, (2) passing a ginou kentei (national trade skills test) under the Human Resources Development Promotion Act and then completing the set course or passing an exam, (3) gaining work experience after university or similar and then completing the set course or passing an exam, and (4) holding an upper secondary school teaching licence in a subject that matches a licensed trade. For public vocational training facilities, recruitment is done by each prefecture or by the Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities and Job Seekers. At accredited training facilities run by employers' groups or vocational training corporations, qualified people are sometimes chosen from among the staff of member businesses. Instructors need skills, techniques and knowledge in their field, and as teachers they need to understand trainees and pay close attention to them. Depending on the subject, they spend a lot of time standing during lectures and practical teaching, so a certain level of fitness is also needed. They also need a drive to keep gaining advanced knowledge in their field.

How much does a Vocational Training Instructor earn in Japan?

Average annual income in the private sector, bonus included, is ¥5,025,500 (Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare). The figure is for the wage survey group Other teachers, which covers several jobs.

Do you need a degree to become a Vocational Training Instructor?

Not always. In this job's census occupation group, 58% of workers are university graduates. Ways in include: Education & Teaching degrees.

Will AI change the work of a Vocational Training Instructor?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 解説系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_description_7_01.xlsx）ver.7.01 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

独立行政法人労働政策研究・研修機構（JILPT）作成 職業情報データベース 簡易版数値系ダウンロードデータ（IPD_DL_numeric_7_00.xlsx）ver.7.00 職業情報提供サイト（job tag）より2026年10月4日にダウンロード（https://shigoto.mhlw.go.jp/User/download）を加工して作成

Sources: JILPT Occupational Information Database download data via job tag (解説系 ver.7.01 and 簡易版数値系 ver.7.00, downloaded 4 October 2026), processed by Peernovo; MHLW, Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025; Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2020 Population Census; MEXT, School Basic Survey 2025; MHLW, Employment Referrals for General Workers (Hello Work statistics). Figures processed by Peernovo. English job names, translations and the matching of jobs to statistical groups, schools and degree fields by Peernovo.

Updated 4 October 2026