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 (
"More than 200 of them have already received the funds," Yan said.
Yao Chia-chen (
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
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it
COLD FACTS: ‘Snow skin’ mooncakes, made with a glutinous rice skin and kept at a low temperature, have relatively few calories compared with other mooncakes Traditional mooncakes are a typical treat for many Taiwanese in the lead-up to the Mid-Autumn Festival, but a Taipei-based dietitian has urged people not to eat more than one per day and not to have them every day due to their high fat and calorie content. As mooncakes contain a lot of oil and sugar, they can have negative health effects on older people and those with diabetes, said Lai Yu-han (賴俞含), a dietitian at Taipei Hospital of the Ministry of Health and Welfare. “The maximum you can have is one mooncake a day, and do not eat them every day,” Lai
RSS