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Classes opened to foreign spouses

Vice Minister of the Interior Lin Yung-chien, right, introduces a counseling hotline for foreign spouses in Taipei yesterday afternoon. The hotline will provide them with information about continuing education, childcare, health services, social welfare and other services. PHOTO: CHIANG YING-YING, TAIPEI TIMES

For the first time, the government will offer vocational training classes this year to help foreign and Chinese spouses find employment in Taiwan.

"In the past, foreign or Chinese spouses who had not yet obtained their national identification cards were not able to sign up for these classes. This year, we are opening classes to those who have already had work permits," said Yu Ming-hsin (游明鑫), of the public training unit of the Council of Labor Affairs' (CLA) Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training.

The CLA has set aside a budget of NT$238 million this year to subsidize classes for foreign spouses at the vocational training centers of local governments.

The budget aims to help 20,000 foreign spouses.

A variety of classes will be offered, providing training in such areas as hairstyling, skin care, cooking, babysitting and caregiving. For instance, the vocational training center in the Taitung district of Taipei City will start a hairstyling course for foreign spouses on March 14.

"Foreign migrant workers who work as caregivers in Taiwan have caused quite a lot of controversy. We are hoping that foreign spouses may replace these migrant workers."

Yu Ming-hsin, member of the public training unit of the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training

The six-week long course will teach students the general principles of hair-cutting and grooming in the first part of the program. The latter part will equip the students with skills to perm, blow-dry and style hair through hands-on experience.

Foreign spouses who fall into the following categories can attend the classes for free: Those whose families are considered middle or low-income, senior citizens and the disabled, as well as people who have been victims of domestic abuse or who are in difficult situations. Other spouses are required to pay 20 percent of tuition fees, with the remainder paid by the government.

After completing a course, each student will receive a certificate. Those who want to work toward professional skill certification may sign up for other more specialized courses.

"Foreign spouses are less aware of the [available] employment resources than the locals; therefore, promotion of such programs is quite important," Yu said.

To help publicize the classes, the CLA is cooperating with the interior ministry's orientation programs for newly arrived foreign spouses.

In the orientation programs, spouses will be given pamphlets with information about the CLA's services and its vocational training courses.

According to Yu, the CLA is especially encouraging foreign spouses to consider being trained as caregivers.

"Foreign migrant workers who work as caregivers in Taiwan have caused quite a lot of controversy. We are hoping that foreign spouses may replace these migrant workers," Yu said.

The minimum requirements for being able to hire a Taiwanese caregiver are much lower than for hiring a foreign national.

In order to provide more employment opportunities for local people, the interior ministry has been planning to provide training so that locals can replace foreign caregivers.

However, the plan has faced obstacles because of a lack of interest among Taiwanese women to work as caregivers, as well as the substantially higher cost of hiring a Taiwanese person compared with a foreign migrant worker.
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