The Ministry of Environment and National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding at a plaque-unveiling ceremony for a new green talent development center at the university.
The memorandum was signed by Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming (彭啟明) and NTNU president Wu Cheng-chih (吳正己) to pledge public-private cooperation in educating talent specializing in net zero solutions and sustainable development.
Peng in his address said that fundamental knowledge and skills might become insufficient to address challenges in the rapidly developing green sector.
Photo: CNA
There are courses on sustainable development provided by non-governmental organizations, but not all of them are professional enough to properly train students, he said.
“The government will encourage private organizations to offer courses, but they must be better than government-funded courses if they charge a higher tuition fee,” Peng said.
The ministry is cooperating with 28 universities nationwide to form a green talent development alliance, aiming to provide comprehensive training and practical experience for students, he said.
“Receiving the training is like buying a promising stock,” Peng said, urging interested young people to sign up for the government-funded green talent training courses.
Asked about decreased job opportunities for green talent on some local job banks, Peng said that demand shrank mainly because of the US tariffs, which are holding back companies “just like the COVID-19 pandemic did.”
The ministry would continue to monitor the global situation and is planning for future developments, including allocating more funding to sustain green solutions, he said.
Wu said the university aims to reach 50 percent carbon reduction by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2048.
The university has introduced artificial intelligence to manage carbon emissions, he said, adding that more resources would be employed to fully support the ministry’s policy.
NTNU sustainability management professor Yeh Shin-cheng (葉欣誠), who also heads the university’s green talent development center, said the program is to begin on April 26, with industrial practitioners invited to share their experience with students.
More sessions and classes would be launched to meet student needs, he said.
The university last month was designated as a hub to lead in green talent development in northern Taiwan.
It has launched a 48-hour green talent development program based on the ministry’s curricular guidelines at a tuition fee of NT$12,000.
The program offered 40 spots and was fully registered only 16 minutes after its implementation on Tuesday last week.
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