Increase Knowledge to Improve Employment Qualifications - MOE Initiates Manpower Value Addition Program for Graduates from Colleges and Higher Level Institutions

In spite of the global financial crisis affecting the job market in every country, it may just provide new opportunities. The Manpower Value Addition Program for Graduates from Colleges and Higher Level Institutions by the Ministry of Education is designed not only to upgrade the expertise of people currently in employment or those on leave without pay to build up their job qualifications, but more importantly, it was established to encourage schools to reconsider the objectives of education and the feasibility of their courses so that university and college education can really meet the demands of industries. The gap between academic learning and practical application will thus be reduced. At the same time, the goal of recurrent education to train medium- and high-level talents for industries and to accumulate human capital for future development can be fulfilled. 

The Ministry of Education plans to invest NT$1,225 billion in four stages to budget 6,000 classes for 35,000 university and college graduates to pursue further study. For Stage 1, 69 schools have been approved to open 1,329 courses in 19 fields, including 1,239 specialized subjects and 90 classes commissioned by private enterprises. There will also be 588 courses related to the six new industries as defined by the Executive Yuan. Details of these classes are available on the official website: http://cell.moe.edu.tw

As a result of publicity work conducted through four sessions of the Employment and Manpower Value Addition Expo held in different parts of Taiwan and the cooperation and efforts of universities and colleges, 3,326 people already signed up for 1,200 classes to be opened in Stage 1 within two weeks after the Legislative Yuan approved the budget on Apr. 11. The total number of students in Stage 1 is expected to exceed 8,500. In this program, the "Employment Skill Diagnosis Platform" shall be introduced to provide pre-training counseling to make further study better oriented and more systematic, so that the trainees will be able to plan their careers more closely in line with the needs of industries.  

The Employment Skill Diagnosis Platform was well received at the four sessions of Employment and Manpower Value Addition Expo where counseling was administered 800 person-times. In the future, it will be developed into an online platform to expand the service. It will be introduced in schools to improve the learning and job qualifications of university and college students, and will result in the integration of study and career planning. 

Additionally, the specialized and commissioned courses opened under this program are based on the trends of industrial development. Models of specialized courses are designed under joint efforts from the industrial and the academic sectors. First, from an industry standpoint, the most prospective future fields are drawn up, and the core professional skills required for each occupation are listed. Specialized courses are then established in accordance with the skills required.

In short, universities and colleges in Taiwan shall provide diverse and practical training courses according to the "Manpower Value Addition Program for Graduates from Colleges and Higher Level Institutions". Schools will be funded according to their actual operations and numbers of classes. People currently unemployed or on leave without pay can take the opportunity to improve their professional skills, prevent any deterioration of their employment competitiveness and skills as a consequence of their temporary departure from the workplace. This is a chance for them to pursue further study, develop a secondary expertise, rest, and prepare for their reentry into the workplace.

Through the implementation of this program, the Ministry of Education also hopes that institutions of higher education in Taiwan will reexamine the content of education and training of students'core abilities. The application of job skill diagnosis and the design of specialized courses can reduce the gap between academic learning in school and practical skills required in industries. Intrinsic improvements are needed for educational institutions to fulfill their mission of talent cultivation. By offering recurrent education, the impact from repeated economic recessions will not be as harsh and universities and colleges will retain their status as building grounds that provide human capital for socio-economic development.