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Taiwan quick take

■Workplace
Help wanted for disabled
Lawmakers from across party lines yesterday urged the government to beef up vocational training for the nation's handicapped whose lack of professional skills have hampered their employment opportunities. DPP Legislator Chou Ya-shu (周雅淑) said the government has been passive in helping disabled job-seekers find employment. Currently, there are only 200 staffers devoted to counseling handicapped workers, a number that is perilous in light of the latter's large size. "Altogether, they help train 2,000 disabled workers a year but there are more than 750,000 people need the service," Chou noted. KMT lawmaker Apollo Chen (陳學聖) suggested the government inject more money into providing vocational training for the handicapped. A recent survey showed 70 percent of private employers are willing to hire handicapped workers as long as they meet professional requirements. But many disabled applicants lack academic credentials and working experience required in the positions they are seeking.

■ Diplomacy
Road sign changed
In a bid to smooth Los Angeles Mayor James K. Hahn's visit to Taipei next week, Los Angeles authorities swiftly removed the word "China" following the word "Taipei" on a road sign Thursday. The action came after the Los Angeles Sister City Committee decided the previous day to remove the country names from all sister city road signs, keeping only the names of the 20 sister cities -- one of which is Taipei -- and their distance from Los Angeles. Hahn, who is on a tour of Asia, is scheduled to arrive in Taipei from Hong Kong next Tuesday for a one-day trade promotion visit.
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