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'Flying Phoenix' graduates trumpet accomplishments

Women who have benefited from the Council of Labor Affairs' women-only job training and entrepreneurship programs yesterday recounted their success stories at an activity in Taipei to raise public awareness.

The activity, in honor of International Women's Day tomorrow, took place in front of the council's head office and featured graduates from its "Flying Phoenix" program, which is aimed at helping women achieve success in business.

The new entrepreneurs and skilled workers set up stalls showcasing their businesses and skills, including diverse enterprises ranging from fashion design and English storytelling to nail art.

More than 900 women have applied to participate in the program's microcredit scheme since it began in March last year.

The scheme allows women aged between 20 and 65 who are interested in starting their own business to borrow up to NT$500,000 at a low interest rate and without the need to nominate a guarantor.

In order to qualify for the loan, they must undergo a training program and write a business plan.

"Of the 900 women who applied to participate, 500 have completed training and have submitted their proposals," said Yan Dong-jong (顏冬榮), an official involved in the project.

"More than 200 of them have already received the funds," Yan said.

Yao Chia-chen (姚家珍) is one of the program's success stories. Having lived in Canada for many years, she eventually returned to Taiwan to settle down.

After completing the Flying Phoenix training and writing a business proposal, which involves teaching English through storytelling, she managed to secure a loan from the Council of Labor Affairs.

Now, about a year later, more than 100 customers participate in her English storytelling class every week, Yao said.

In order to further encourage female entrepreneurship, the council this year also introduced workshops on different aspects of starting a business. More than 14,700 women participated in the workshops.

The Flying Phoenix program also provided vocational training for 30,348 women last year in fields as divergent as nail art and computer skills.

Council of Labor Affairs Vice Chairman Kuo Foung-yu (郭芳煜) said that the program has set itself a higher target for this year.

"We hope to help 500 women start businesses this year, up from 200 last year," Kuo said.

Also see: Hsieh vows more jobs for women
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