Premier Jiang Yi-huah today touted the progress of reform in Taiwan's technical and vocational education (TVE) system during his visit to the Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology (STUST). The premier took a two-day tour of several technical and vocational schools to better understand the system and see how education content, technology transfer collaboration and academic-industrial interaction can be improved.
Several years back, Jiang said, the Ministry of Education (MOE) rolled out the Aim for the Top University Project as part of a government effort to improve higher education. The program provided Taiwan's top universities with funding totaling NT$50 billion (US$1.69 billion) over a five-year period, and after just two periods of implementation, some universities have already entered the world's top 100 ranks. The MOE also launched the Program for Promoting Teaching Excellence of Universities, which funds any university that puts forward innovative ideas in teaching. The premier said these two programs have contributed significantly to the improvement of Taiwan's higher education.
"Two years ago the government began applying the same approach to improving TVE. Under the Model University of Science and Technology Program, the MOE last year selected 12 top universities of science and technology, STUST included, to receive funding totaling more than NT$1 billion (US$33.84 million) per year," he said.
This year, the MOE launched another TVE improvement program with funding totaling NT$20.3 billion (US$686.97 million) over a five-year period. Premier Jiang said that he would do his best to maintain or increase these budgets as Taiwan's technical and vocational schools will need to be upgraded across the board to produce the kind of talent needed by the industrial sector.
"A few weeks ago when film director Ang Lee returned to Taiwan, I asked his opinion about Taiwan's niche in the film sector as well as the cultural and creative industries," Jiang said. Lee thought that Taiwan was about five to 10 years ahead of its neighbors in terms of quality and quantity of college graduates, but if Taiwan did not put these advantages into play within the next three to five years, the opportunities will be lost.
"Lee also mentioned that southern Taiwan had the potential to become a cluster area for digital multimedia, and that not even the United States had an area offering such abundant university resources for creative design. Lee hoped that the government would facilitate the formation of such a cluster and not allow Taiwan's foundations or competitive advantages to go to waste."
Premier Jiang also said that he hopes to expand the work of his predecessors to promote the six emerging industries, specifically the cultural and creative sector and the information and communications technology (ICT) industries, because therein lie excellent opportunities in Taiwan's industrial transformation. The process of transforming industries requires participation from all sectors, Jiang said. He asked teachers to help by cultivating a generation of stand-out, competitive graduates that are sought by industries. Meanwhile, the government will provide the best talents, the most business-friendly laws, and attractive tax and land incentives to keep companies rooted in Taiwan. This will increase job opportunities, raise wages for Taiwan's young people and yield lasting benefits, he said.
The premier also visited Kun Shan University and toured its multimedia production center. In addition to meeting bright talent needed by Taiwan's innovative design and other important industries, he also saw the school's achievements in young child care and elderly medical care education.
Premier Jiang pointed out that Taiwan's elderly population is growing rapidly while the birthrate is declining. To encourage young people to have more children and ensure proper care for the elderly, the nation cannot rely solely on foreign laborers to provide the needed care services; rather, it should raise up a workforce from within its own industrial structure.
"We must lay out national directions that anticipate population, industrial and economic changes. Meanwhile, schools should cultivate an elder care workforce, and Taiwan's competitive ICT industries can be brought in to create intelligent and humanistic care technologies. All of these policies should be linked together to align the different considerations," the premier added.
The premier said that he feels a heavy responsibility for TVE development. As Taiwan's industries undergo transformation, everyone must work together to lay the foundation for a bright economic future. In particular, technical colleges must support science and technology universities to cultivate a proper workforce and give jobs and hope to young people.
Later on, the premier hosted a forum for Tainan-area business representatives as well as technical and vocational school principals from the Chiayi and Tainan areas. Responding to questions on converting patented inventions for industrial and commercial use, Jiang said that the government has been paying close attention to this issue and had asked the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the Council for Economic Planning and Development and the National Science Council to study and implement relevant measures soon. As for cooperative education, the premier said it is an important link in TVE reform efforts that will build students' technical abilities, alleviate youth unemployment and match candidates to companies.
Some forum participants expressed concerns that a small number of students from technical colleges that have been upgraded to universities appeared unenthusiastic about their internships because they considered themselves to be university students. The premier replied that some TVE graduates were even unwilling to take on jobs meant for traditional vocational school graduates, and that this is worrisome for Taiwan's production in the long run. He asked schools to instill a positive work ethic as well as professional skills in the students. The MOE should also change the academic climate and educational values to encourage students to start from the basic level.