Taiwan-initiated APEC workforce alliance stages 1st forum

2016/05/30

The Taiwan-initiated Skills Development Capacity Building Alliance under the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation commenced its first forum May 26 at Taichung City Hall, underscoring Taiwan’s ongoing efforts to boost employment and foster growth throughout the region.

Titled the 2016 Symposium on Workforce Development for Quality Growth in Asia-Pacific Region, the three-day forum in central Taiwan features presentations by high-ranking government officials and labor experts from Australia, Japan, Singapore, South Korea and Vietnam. The event marks a significant first step for the new alliance, which was formally given the green light earlier this month at the annual meeting of the APEC Human Resources Development Working Group in Lima, Peru.

“The alliance has already drawn considerable attention as youth unemployment is a major issue confronting many economies in the region,” said Tsai Meng-liang, deputy director-general of the Ministry of Labor’s Workforce Development Agency, which co-organized the symposium in conjunction with Taichung City Government’s Labor Affairs Bureau.

Taiwan’s WDA first proposed the alliance in May 2015 at the annual meeting of APEC’s HRDWG in Boracay, the Philippines. The initiative was formally established at this year’s gathering in Lima May 5-10 after receiving support from 14 member economies in the working group, including the U.S., mainland China and Peru, APEC host for 2016.

According to Tsai, who currently chairs HRDWG, the initiative promotes research on youth employment as well as collaboration between vocational training professionals from alliance members. “Taiwan is an export-oriented economy, so interactions with other developed member economies can help ensure that the capabilities of its workforce keep pace with the highest international standards,” he said. “Conversely, this alliance also enables Taiwan to export its vocational education expertise.”

As part of the initiative, WDA has established the APEC Skills Development Capacity Building Park in Taichung. Attendees to this year’s symposium were invited to tour the facility, which hosts vocational training courses designed by Siemens AG and Cisco Systems Inc. under an agreement between the multinationals and WDA.

Taiwan has made substantial contributions to regional growth through APEC since its accession to the 21-member forum in 1991. It has spearheaded several projects designed to narrow the development gap in Asia-Pacific, such as the APEC Digital Opportunity Center, an initiative that promotes e-learning in an effort to bridge the digital divide between member economies. The alliance, whose first stage is scheduled to run until the end of 2017 and can be extended for a second term, demonstrates Taiwan’s continued commitment to sharing its development experience and expanding its role in the international community.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=245131&ctNode=2194&mp=9)