It seems the promise of important job skills and fresh country air are not enough to lure the nation's growing NEET and "freeter" population into action.
In fact, only six people have applied to take part in a farm skills training program recently set up by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries.
The program offers three separate farm training courses for NEETs, or people not in education, employment or training, and freeters, young people who hop from one part-time job to another.
The idea was to have participants take up farm internships while studying management and agricultural production engineering for up to six months, thereby solving the NEET dilemma and at the same time boosting the dwindling rural workforce.
Ministry officials calculated 120 people a year would take part in the "Challenge! Farm School" program annually.
The three- to six- month courses slated to have started at separate locations in Ibaraki and Nagano prefectures in April. Officials are now scrambling to make up numbers.
As well as sending brochures to unemployment offices nationwide, they are also offering the course to prospective workers on a trial basis for one to six days.
According to a number of nonprofit organizations that work with young people, the high price tag of the courses, as well as the length, is most likely where the ministry went wrong.
The six-month program costs about 570,000 yen.(IHT/Asahi: June 12,2006)
http://www.asahi.com/english/Herald-asahi/TKY200606120105.html
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