The subsidy for the tuition of participants of the Net Zero Green-Collar Talent Incubation Program has been expanded to include people with disabilities and those with a medium-low income, the Ministry of Environment said on Friday.
The ministry’s National Environmental Research Academy launched the program in March in collaboration with 32 universities nationwide to train talent for the rapidly growing green sector.
Previously, people from low-income households could enroll for free, while full-time students younger than 30 would be given a 50 percent discount, as long as they pass the program’s examination the first time. The course fee is NT$12,000.
Photo: Chen Chia-yi, Taipei Times
The program’s first session, for which registration opened on April 1, had a slot for 40 trainees. Registration was full and closed 16 minutes later, the ministry said.
However, more than 80 percent of the session’s applicants were ineligible for tuition subsidies, it said.
Participants were aged 37 on average, and 60 percent of them were women, the ministry said, adding that their jobs ranged from engineers, sales representatives and administrative assistants to accountants, general affairs personnel and college teachers.
That reflected people’s strong motivation to learn, as well as the importance they attached to cultivating net zero expertise and changing careers to green-collar jobs, it said.
Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Liu Chien-kuo (劉建國) has suggested that the academy extend the subsidy to people from lower-middle income households and those with physical or mental disabilities, based on the principle of “economizing on all but education.”
Academy director Liu Tsung-yung (劉宗勇) on Friday said that it agreed to include more people in the subsidy scheme to reduce the financial burden on applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds.
People with disabilities or from lower-middle income households are now eligible to apply for the full subsidy, he said.
However, they must complete the training and pass the examination the first time, Liu said, adding that people who fail the first exam but pass the retake would not be granted the subsidy.
People who have registered for the program prior to the changes can still apply for the subsidy if they are eligible, he said.
The ministry said at least 60 sessions would be launched by 32 universities to train more than 2,400 people by the end of this year.
The program provides three examinations and is expected to train at least 3,500 people every year, it said.
The first examination for this year would be held in late August, Liu said, urging college students to take the opportunity of cultivating net zero knowledge and skills during the summer vacation.
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