At Thursday's Cabinet meeting, Premier Su Tseng-chang received a briefing from the Ministry of Labor (MOL) on Taiwan's participation in the WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition, which concluded in Austria last month. Taiwanese competitors performed exceptionally well, winning 6 gold, 13 silver and 6 bronze medals, and taking home an additional 17 medallions for excellence, coming in third overall out of the 57 participating members. This was an outstanding achievement that shows the world the high standard of skill on offer in Taiwan. The premier extends his special thanks to competitors for their spectacular performances and to the coaching teams for their outstanding contributions.
Taiwan won gold medals in the skill categories of Joinery, Automobile Technology, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning, Prototype Modelling, Manufacturing Team Challenge and Electrical Installations. Moreover, fielding competitors for the first time, Taiwan scooped four silver medals in the categories of Mobile Applications Development, Cyber Security, Robot Systems Integration and Digital Construction—and won a Medallion for Excellence in Hotel Reception—demonstrating the remarkable talent and winning spirit of young Taiwanese.
To support job opportunities for the winning competitors, the Ministry of Education (MOE) will launch a program in August 2023 that enables WorldSkills Competition participants to undergo certification training to become instructors at vocational high schools. This program will help winning contestants develop careers and pass on their specialized skills. The premier has also approved the second phase of the Higher Education SPROUT (Sustained Progress and Rise of Universities in Taiwan) Project for the next five years, which will continue to improve educational facilities, promote cooperation between academy and industries, and achieve the goal of nurturing talent that meets the diverse demands of modern society.
Taiwan has been selected to host the 2025 WorldSkills Asia Competition. In preparation, the premier has asked for the full cooperation of the MOL, MOE, Ministry of Economic Affairs and other related government agencies in continuing to monitor industry trends and investing resources to organize the upcoming event.