Measures to Promote Employment for Persons with Disabilities in Akita Prefecture

The aim of workplace adaptation training is to help persons with disabilities to adjust to the work environment through work trainings. The training is implemented with the expectation that the trainee will be hired by the company where the training is carried out after the program is completed. Workplace adaptation training costs incurred by the company are paid by the city and the trainee receives a training allowance.

Criteria for Employers to Whom Trainees are Assigned

(1) Those persons who have been recognized by the Director of the Public Employment Security Office as eligible to receive workplace adaptation training in order to make it easier to secure gainful employment, will be assigned to company owners who meet the following criteria :

There are appropriate facilities to carry out workplace adaptation training
There is an employee who is suitable as a supervisor for the trainee
The company provides the Workmen’s accident compensation Insurance, employment insurance and health insurance in addition to having equivalent mutual aid-type programs
The workplace with the safety, hygiene and other working conditions prescribed in the Labor Standards Law and the Occupational Health and Safety Law
There are opportunities to employ the trainee after the workplace adaptation training period is completed.

(2) Generally, the training period is six months, comprising workplace adaptation training at small – to medium-sized companies*, whereas for trainees with severe disabilities, the general workplace adaptation training period is one year. Short – term workplace adaptation training is two weeks or four weeks for trainees with severe disabilities.

*
Companies with less than 300 full – time employees (under 100 employees for wholesale and service companies and under 50 employees for retail companies), or companies with a capital of under 300 million yen (less than 100 million yen for wholesale companies and less than 6 million yen for retail and service companies).

Entitlement

Employers will receive 24,000 yen per month (25,000 yen for trainees with severe disabilities) per workplace adaptation trainee to cover their training costs. For short-term workplace adaptation training, the daily amount paid to employers is 960 yen (1,000 yen for trainees with severe disabilities).

(2) Rewards for Employing Persons with Disabilities (Akita prefecture’s subsidy)

The rewards for employing persons with disabilities are to help them gain stable employment. The rewards are paid to employers who employ trainees who have completed their workplace adaptation training at their companies.

Entitlement Amount

Employers who employ workplace adaptation trainees following completion of their training period will receive 30,000 yen per trainee.

(3) Workplace Adaptation Training Grant-in-Aid (Akita Prefecture’s subsidy system)

To promote participation in the workplace adaptation training program, grants will be paid to persons with disabilities who have dependent family members.

Persons to be Covered

Grants will be only be paid to persons with disabilities who meet the following conditions.

A person with disabilities who is eligible to receive a training allowance according to the Akita prefecture vocational training allowance payment regulation.
A person who has dependents.

Amount of Entitlement

A workplace adaptation trainee will receive a monthly allowance of 13,000 yen.

(4) Rewards for Employment Development for Persons with Disabilities (Akita Prefecture’s subsidy system)

If an employer continues to employ the person with disabilities after the end of the initially specified period of “Grant for employment development for hand-to employ job applicants”, the city will thereafter pay a proportion of the wages paid to the person with disabilities.

The objective is to increase employment opportunities in a difficult job market for persons with disabilities and to enhance work stability.

Employers Eligible to Receive Rewards

Employers who meet the following conditions are eligible to receive a financial reward :

An employer who is eligible to receive the national grant for employment development for hand-to employ job applicants.
Employers who continue to employ persons with disabilities for a period of more than nine months following the end of “Grant for employment development for hand-to employ job applicants”.

Amount of Entitlement

One – fourth of the wages (any amount under 100 yen is discounted) that were paid for six months. This is calculated from the day after the last day of the period of “Grant for employment development for hand-to employ job applicants” and does not include temporary wages or wages that are paid after every three-month period.
The entitlement amount is limited to 150 days of the maximum amount of the basic daily allowance paid by employment insurance.

(5) Rewards to Participate in Pre-vocational Training (Akita Prefecture’s subsidy system)

The pre – vocational support program implemented by the Akita Vocational Center for Persons with Disabilities aims to promote employment and expand the range of employment by teaching basic work practices or knowledge and skills that will enable persons with disabilities to become self – reliant. Therefore, the transportation costs to the Center and company cooperating in the program are paid by the prefecture to facilitate the pre – vocational support program, job coach support and attending OA courses.