Hejin county, in southwestern Shanxi province, launched a vocational skill training class targeting the first local nursing workers to go to Japan on Jan 15. 

It's the first time that Hejin has exported organized labor services overseas and a development which is also the first of its kind in Shanxi province, local officials said. 

"I'm eager to improve myself through the training and to learn new technologies in Japan to bring advanced concepts and technologies back home and help more friends and relatives become rich," said Yuan Liping, one of trainees. 

They are expected to earn an annual net income of over 100,000 yuan ($14,529) per person in Japan. 

"The most urgent task now is to study hard, as we have to reach the N4 level of the Japanese-Language Proficiency Test required by employers," she added.

The first 35 trainees will receive language and nursing skills training in coming four months. After passing an assessment, they will go to nursing homes and hospitals in cities like Hokkaido, Tokyo, Toyama and sign three-year contracts with employers.

Local officials said Hejin county plans to export labor services through formal international labor employment companies. 

To encourage and support the local labor force to go to Japan for employment, Hejin has introduced a series of preferential policies and guarantee mechanisms.  

It organized vocational training for poor people in rural areas and zero fees for working abroad, targeting these people. 

A special liaison office called Fenghuanchao, WeChat group chats and a 24-hour hotline have also been established to solve the problems faced by local people working overseas. 

Officials said the county has acquired a lot of experience exporting labor and it established a comprehensive labor service organization in 2017.

To date, it has established 68 service stations for Hejin-born people working outside across China, sent out more than 10,000 construction technicians, over 3,000 housekeepers and over 3,200 skilled welders – all earning about 1 billion yuan annually. 

In 2019, the county established a talent information base and completed the construction of a smart service platform for attracting talent working in Hejin, to enhance the quality and efficiency of the local labor's output. 

Hejin will expand into overseas employment and entrepreneurship markets using its overseas representative offices, according to Ju Zhen, Party chief of the county. 

It will identify developed countries as target markets, pioneer exploring labor exports in Shanxi province and develop itself into a model county for exporting labor services to Japan.