Some of the participants in the Sabah Elite Leadership Training Workshop in Malaysia

A 4-day Sabah Elite Leadership Training Workshop, organized by the Education Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia, and the Taiwan Alumni Association of Sabah was held from December 19 to 22, 2020. 

A prime aim of the workshop was to give the participating high school students a broader international insight through the session were the local speakers and the speakers from Taiwan interacted, to thereby help bring about innovative changes to the local economy in Sabah in future. Sabah’s economy relies heavily on supplying raw materials, and so its income is limited by the current prices of the raw materials Sabah sells, and local job opportunities have also been limited. 

Looking toward the future, students from different schools in Sabah were encouraged to take part in this workshop and plan to undertake future studies and careers that will boost their local economy. 

Local speakers gave presentations on the current trends indicating which skills are in high demand, and which skills are expected to increase in high demand, to motivate the participants to explore more possibilities to be even better able to contribute to society in the future. Speakers from Taiwan gave presentations and lessons online as the borders still remain closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants gained a lot of useful knowledge, and they also had lessons related to soft skills such as teamwork and communication skills.

Pang Thou Chong, the president of the Taiwan Alumni Association of Sabah told them that guidance and consultation are much needed by students, especially during these challenging times. He recommended Taiwan as one of the best choices for the students to consider for further study after graduating from high school, pointing out its high-quality education environment, and speaking from his own experiences.

Personnel from the Education Division at TECO told the students about the latest trends in higher education, and industry innovation developments in Taiwan. They outlined the various scholarship programs provided by the government and universities and encouraged the students to apply for them so that they can study without worrying about the financial burden.

It will be wonderful if these students go and do further study in Taiwan and then return to Sabah with new ideas and newly acquired knowledge and expertise. They will be able to contribute substantially to making positive changes to the local economy.