The Executive Yuan's new committee on human resources policy held its first meeting today, during which Premier Jiang Yi-huah underscored the importance of talent cultivation to national development and competitiveness.
"Taiwan is evolving toward a knowledge-based service economy and its industrial structure continues to change," Jiang noted. "However, its workforce is declining and aging due to rapid shifts in the population, which has led to an imbalance between the supply and demand of talents. We must take action and consider how to cultivate, retain and recruit the kind of quality workers needed for Taiwan's socioeconomic development."
During the meeting, the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) put forward a workforce development blueprint consisting of three core strategies: to help people enter the labor market at an earlier age, encourage employment among women and older workers, and aggressively recruit new talent. Premier Jiang instructed the CEPD to incorporate the committee's feedback into the blueprint before submitting it to the Executive Yuan for approval.
The Ministry of Education (MOE), meanwhile, proposed a training program that designs school courses around industry needs. Premier Jiang said the classes will narrow the education-employment gap by producing graduates with work-ready skills. Affirming the program as an innovation that can push youths to begin work earlier, he also directed the MOE to take today's responses into consideration when working out the program details.
The premier further asked the MOE to help schools organize internship programs to give students an early start on workplace experiences. The MOE should also integrate career counseling services and be mindful of issues that affect student rights. And because parents have significant influence over vocational education reform, the MOE should raise their understanding and support of industry-university collaboration programs.
Since last year's passage of the Act of Cooperative Education Implementation in Senior High Schools and the Protection of Student Participants' Right, businesses have complained that the act has created more barriers to the hiring of students. In response, Jiang asked the MOE to review the act for outdated or unsuitable provisions and to propose necessary amendments.
Formed this past April, the Executive Yuan's human resources policy committee consists of the premier as convener, Vice Premier Mao Chi-kuo as vice convener, CEPD Minister Kuan Chung-ming as executive officer, as well as two ministers without portfolio, 14 ministers, and seven industry-university collaboration experts. They will meet every three months to discuss overall human resources issues and help ministries devise short-, medium- and long-term measures for implementing strategies. The committee's aim is to create multiple channels for talent cultivation, enhance academia-industry cooperation, and keep Taiwan's talent pool at par with international standards.