At the Cabinet's weekly meeting Thursday, Premier Chen Chien-jen received a Ministry of Education (MOE) briefing on the progress of government initiatives to jointly cultivate talent through collaboration with industry and academia, specifically by setting up regional talent training bases and establishing specialized colleges for research in key industry-related fields. The premier said the government is providing students in higher education and vocational education with instructional environments that correlate with the needs of industries, while also spurring industries to assume a more proactive role in fostering the talent they require, thus building a mutually beneficial model of industry-academia cooperation.
The premier emphasized that talent training bases have been an important component of vocational and technical education policy under President Tsai Ing-wen's administration, with 18 bases already active last year. He instructed the MOE to bring the number of talent training bases up to 20 as soon as possible by continuing to coordinate the current policy of supporting key national industries, and taking into account President-elect Lai Ching-te's campaign platform of expanding investment in vocational education.
The premier said the government's innovative operating model—establishing research colleges that promote industry-academia cooperation and talent cultivation—can lead the way forward for new innovations in industrial technology. It is anticipated that close collaboration between industry, government, academia and research institutes will cultivate high-tech talent that propels forward the development of key national sectors and enhances Taiwan's industrial competitiveness.
Premier Chen instructed the MOE to continue to promote the Industry-Academia Cooperation Program 2.0, in order to effectively integrate research in key fields into vocational and technical senior high schools, colleges and universities, thereby ensuring that Taiwan makes significant strides forward in talent cultivation.