The Employment for Skill Development system — what to do now

In short: the system takes effect in April 2027, but the procedures have already begun. Pre-enforcement applications for supervising support organisation (監理支援機関) licences are being accepted now, and pre-enforcement applications for training-employment plan certification open on September 1, 2026. The technical intern training side has deadlines too: new supervising organisation licences by September 30, 2026, and No. 1 technical intern training plan applications by February 2027.

This page is for owners and back-office staff of companies hosting technical intern trainees, or preparing to receive workers under the Employment for Skill Development (育成就労) system. Not a system explainer — only "by when, and what", from the OTIT's published pages (checked 14 August 2026).

It starts next April — why move now?

Because pre-enforcement application machinery is already running. Wait for enforcement and you will not be ready on day one. And on the technical intern training side, the windows for new applications are closing on a published schedule. Companies thinking "we'll stay on technical intern training until the new system starts" are exactly the ones who need both calendars side by side.

By when, and what?

All items below are stated on the OTIT's pages (checked 14 August 2026). The pages are updated frequently — reconfirm on the latest page before acting.

When	What
Now accepting	Pre-enforcement applications for supervising support organisation licences (full document set and forms published)
From September 1, 2026	Pre-enforcement applications for training-employment plan certification ("send so as to arrive on or after September 1")
By September 30, 2026	Applications for new supervising organisation licences under the technical intern training system
By February 2027	Applications for certification of No. 1 technical intern training plans under the technical intern training system
April 1, 2027	The Employment for Skill Development system takes effect (planned)

Two cautions. First, "September 30" is the deadline for new supervising organisation licences under technical intern training — not a deadline for the new system's applications. Much circulating material confuses the two. Second, the mailing destinations differ: the licence application goes to the head-office examination division annex (a different address from the head office), while plan certification goes to the regional offices and branches (not the head office). The OTIT flags both itself. A dedicated call centre for pre-enforcement applications is open (0570-011-300, weekdays 9:00–17:00).

What does the receiving company prepare?

The list of application forms tells you, in reverse, what will be asked.

Form	What to prepare
1-2	The employment contract and conditions document — rebuild the contract templates
1-13	The statement of important matters on treatment during the period
1-15 / 1-39	Statements of remuneration, accommodation and amounts collected (1-39 adds relocation costs) — what goes into the treatment sections
1-11	Acceptance letters for the training-employment supervisor, instructor and life advisor — three roles to fill
1-35	The declaration on target Japanese-language ability — decide the learning arrangements
1-16 to 1-22	The seven transfer-related forms — insurance and notifications on transfer
1-36	The excellent-standards declaration — decide whether to pursue it

Seven forms for transfers alone — the number of forms itself shows that transfer sits at the centre of the system. The overall picture is in What changes for labour administration between technical intern training and the new system?; the work-rules side in How do you revise the work rules before receiving workers?.

Whom do you ask for what?

Task	Whose work
The licence application and the plan-certification documents	A gyoseishoshi (四葉行政書士事務所 — a separate business from this office, engaged under a separate contract)
Securing the external auditor	The published document lists include the auditor's acceptance letters (licence = reference form 2-5; plan certification = form 1-26). The auditor must therefore be decided before the application is filed. For choosing whom to appoint, see the external auditor page (四葉行政書士事務所, a separate business); for what an audit examines and how to prepare, the preparing-side page
Contract templates, treatment documents, work rules, social insurance — rebuilding the labour side	A shakai hoken roumushi (this office)

What can 四葉社会保険労務士事務所 do?

四葉社会保険労務士事務所, in Kohinata, Bunkyo City, handles the labour-side preparation — the employment contract templates (the substance behind form 1-2), the treatment statements, the work-rules revision, and the social and labour insurance procedures. Consultation is free of charge. Fees are in the fee schedule. We start from a stocktake of "in our case, what by when".

Whom to consult

Licence applications, plan certification and residence status go to 四葉行政書士事務所 (a separate business from this office, engaged under a separate contract). External auditors may be attorneys, shakai hoken roumushi or gyoseishoshi; at Yotsuba either office can accept the role, but each accepts it as an independent business under its own contract. Housing goes to 四葉不動産株式会社 (likewise), payroll taxation to a tax accountant, disputes to an attorney. No referral fees change hands.

Frequently asked questions

Q. Why are applications open before the system takes effect?
A. Because a pre-enforcement application mechanism exists. Licence applications are being accepted now, and plan-certification applications open on September 1, 2026 (OTIT, checked 14 August 2026). To use the system from day one (April 1, 2027, planned), the permissions must be progressed beforehand.

Q. We heard "apply by September 30" — is that the new system's deadline?
A. No. September 30, 2026 is the date the OTIT gives for new supervising organisation licence applications under the technical intern training system. It is not a recommended deadline for the new system's applications. The two are widely confused — check the OTIT's own pages.

Q. We are still hosting technical intern trainees. Does this concern us?
A. Yes. No. 1 technical intern training plan applications run until February 2027; after that, new intake moves to the new system. Companies currently hosting trainees are precisely the ones that need the transition calendar early. See the comparison article.

Q. By when must the external auditor be decided?
A. The document lists include the auditor's acceptance letter (reference form 2-5 for the licence), so the auditor must be in place when the application is filed. "Find one after the licence is granted" is not an available order of events. For choosing whom to appoint, see the external auditor page (四葉行政書士事務所, a separate business).

Sources for this article

• OTIT, "Pre-enforcement applications for supervising support organisation licences" (updated 10 July 2026; checked 14 August 2026) — now accepting; document list including reference form 2-5; mailing destination (head-office examination division annex); call centre; the note "apply for new supervising organisation licences under the technical intern training system by September 30, 2026"
• OTIT, "Pre-enforcement applications for training-employment plan certification" (updated 5 August 2026; checked 14 August 2026) — "opens September 1; send to arrive on or after September 1"; regional offices/branches as destination; reference forms 1-1 to 1-39; the note "apply for No. 1 technical intern training plan certification by February 2027"
• The legal basis is the Act on Proper Technical Intern Training and Protection of Technical Intern Trainees (平成28年法律第89号) as amended by Act No. 60 of 2024 (the current text on e-Gov still carries the pre-amendment title — confirmed 14 August 2026; the system's content rests on OTIT, Ministry of Justice and MHLW publications)
• Deadlines and acceptance status are updated. Always reconfirm on the OTIT's latest pages before acting

This article is general information. Judgments that fit your particular circumstances are made by a qualified professional after a meeting. Written by Joji Uramatsu (Shakai Hoken Roumushi (Certified Social Insurance and Labor Consultant), Gyoseishoshi (Certified Administrative Procedures Legal Specialist), Registered Real Estate Transaction Specialist).