Human resources are the foundation of Taiwan's growth. To meet the nation's development needs over the next 30 years, the government since 2017 has set aside a special budget to promote human resources under the Forward-looking Infrastructure Development Program. The program aims to develop entrepreneurial clusters that can compete at the international level, by attracting foreign professionals to Taiwan, promoting entrepreneurship and employment among young people, and encouraging transnational cooperation among industry, academia and researchers, thereby internationalizing Taiwan's innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.
Six main projects
■ Improve the practical learning environment at vocational schools: Establish industrial training bases for bright students, build factories that simulate industry environments, and create sites for interdisciplinary internships. These strategies will help form a personnel training system for vocational education that meets society's needs.
■ Build startup bases to draw top global innovators: Create international-level startup bases, meld Taiwan's academic research and innovation with the R&D capabilities of the nation's science parks, attract the world's top entrepreneurs to Taiwan for further development and exchange with locals, mentor domestic entrepreneurial talent and connect to the greater international innovation ecosystem.
■ Train and employ high-level professionals in targeted industries: Provide one-year on-the-job practical training to foster PhD-level talent in accordance with the needs of industries. Draw upon the resources of corporations and academic and research institutions to cultivate practical industry capabilities in doctorate-level professionals, thus incentivizing companies to employ such professionals and guiding their entry into industries.
■ Nurture young scholars: Through initiatives such as the Einstein Program and Columbus Program, incentivize young people with a foundation in scientific research to participate in forward-looking, innovative research programs that connect Taiwan to the world. Foster diverse international exchanges through digital technology.
■ Develop digital and technical professionals: Help senior and middle management of small and medium-sized enterprises acquire digital skills. Link industries, universities and research institutions at home and abroad to jointly cultivate international, interdisciplinary digital professionals.
■ Implement initial steps (2021-2024) to make Taiwan a bilingual nation by 2030: Promote schools and specialized colleges that excel at bilingual curricula, and set up bilingual policy educational resource centers. Increase the quality and quantity of domestic and foreign English teachers. Create environments friendly to English learning, such as by promoting digital English learning outside the school system, broadening the services of the General English Proficiency Test, and raising the English proficiency of civil servants.