MOI conducts 2G immigrant leadership camp

2014-08-26

A four-day leadership camp for Taiwan’s second-generation immigrant youth wrapped up earlier this month, underscoring government efforts to capitalize on the cultural and linguistic skills of these citizens, according to the Ministry of the Interior Aug. 21.

A total of 25 students participated in the series of training sessions and business apprenticeships conducted Aug. 4-7 by the National Immigration Agency under the MOI. The initiative represents a central component in the public-private sector drive to boost Taiwan’s presence in Southeast Asian markets.

“The 210,000 2G immigrant children students in Taiwan’s elementary and secondary schools will represent 13.5 percent of the nation’s twentysomethings by 2025,” NIA Director-General Mo Tien-hu said.

“It is imperative the government assists these children in harnessing their natural strengths in cross-cultural communication and grow Taiwan’s economic footprint in the increasingly important Association of Southeast Asian Nations market.”

ASEAN members were Taiwan’s No. 2 source of immigrants, with 90,086 coming Vietnam and 28,100 from Indonesia, according to NIA statistics.

Mo said the camp, as well as the New Immigrants Torch Program, is a result of cooperation among the ministries of economic affairs, education, the interior and labor. A key goal of the program is strengthening 2G immigrant mother tongue education in schools and organizing internship opportunities catering to Taiwan enterprises’ workforce demands in the region.

“By pooling ministerial resources we are creating a climate conducive to helping our bilingual students to play an instrumental role in Taiwan’s international development going forward,” Mo said.

Source: Taiwan Today (http://taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=220969&CtNode=413)