Amid the changes in the global industrial environment, Taiwan's role as a provider of original equipment manufacturing/original design manufacturing (OEM/ODM) services for various technological sectors has gradually decreased. The nation is now moving toward an innovative, knowledge-based industry to become a production base for cutting-edge research and development, as well as high value-added products.
To achieve this goal, quality and skilled workers are needed. However, there is a shortage of university and junior college graduates to meet the need for research developers and technicians at the companies in the Hsinchu Science Park. This lack exposes a vital problem in the local education system.
The demand for college and post-graduate employees exceeds the supply from National Taiwan University, Tsing Hua, Chiao Tung and Chen Kung universities, as companies place greater emphasis on original research and development (R&D) to maintain their competitive edge.
Tsing Hua and Chiao Tung universities recently reinforced their international graduate research programs to attract outstanding international students. These students receive scholarships from certain corporations who employ them after graduation.
This scheme has earned the support of several organizations at the science park, highlighting the acute demand for quality R&D staff.
A major cause of the shortage of technicians is the upgrading of junior colleges into technical universities or institutes in the past 10 years, resulting in an insufficient supply of junior college graduates to fill the demand.
Graduates of technical universities and institutes are unwilling to fill the slack, as they think this a post for junior college graduates. However, many of these technical institute graduates are stuck in limbo as they are unqualified to seek higher-level job positions.
There seems to be a misconception that the nation's science parks require more researchers and developers than technicians. The reality is that they complement each other: The close alliance between R&D and manufacturing is critical to the success of local science parks.
At present, many senior-level technicians at the Hsinchu Science Park are foreign employees from Southeast Asia. If local corporations continue to face a long-term dearth in human resources, some may be forced to relocate to Southeast Asia or China, where supply is abundant. The government should give careful consideration to these issues.
Huan Teh-jui is the director of the Hsinchu Science Park Administration.
Translated by Angela Hong
Saudi Arabian largesse is flooding Egypt’s cultural scene, but the reception is mixed. Some welcome new “cooperation” between two regional powerhouses, while others fear a hostile takeover by Riyadh. In Cairo, historically the cultural capital of the Arab world, Egyptian Minister of Culture Nevine al-Kilany recently hosted Saudi Arabian General Entertainment Authority chairman Turki al-Sheikh. The deep-pocketed al-Sheikh has emerged as a Medici-like patron for Egypt’s cultural elite, courted by Cairo’s top talent to produce a slew of forthcoming films. A new three-way agreement between al-Sheikh, Kilany and United Media Services — a multi-media conglomerate linked to state intelligence that owns much of
The US and other countries should take concrete steps to confront the threats from Beijing to avoid war, US Representative Mario Diaz-Balart said in an interview with Voice of America on March 13. The US should use “every diplomatic economic tool at our disposal to treat China as what it is... to avoid war,” Diaz-Balart said. Giving an example of what the US could do, he said that it has to be more aggressive in its military sales to Taiwan. Actions by cross-party US lawmakers in the past few years such as meeting with Taiwanese officials in Washington and Taipei, and
The Republic of China (ROC) on Taiwan has no official diplomatic allies in the EU. With the exception of the Vatican, it has no official allies in Europe at all. This does not prevent the ROC — Taiwan — from having close relations with EU member states and other European countries. The exact nature of the relationship does bear revisiting, if only to clarify what is a very complicated and sensitive idea, the details of which leave considerable room for misunderstanding, misrepresentation and disagreement. Only this week, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) received members of the European Parliament’s Delegation for Relations
Denmark’s “one China” policy more and more resembles Beijing’s “one China” principle. At least, this is how things appear. In recent interactions with the Danish state, such as applying for residency permits, a Taiwanese’s nationality would be listed as “China.” That designation occurs for a Taiwanese student coming to Denmark or a Danish citizen arriving in Denmark with, for example, their Taiwanese partner. Details of this were published on Sunday in an article in the Danish daily Berlingske written by Alexander Sjoberg and Tobias Reinwald. The pretext for this new practice is that Denmark does not recognize Taiwan as a state under