Taiwan

Taiwan Representative:

Chao-Mei Chiang

Associate Professor, Department of Educational Psychology and Counseling
Career Coach & Facilitator
National Taiwan Normal University
Taipei, Taiwan
Taiwan@AsiaPacificCDA.org

May 2024 Taiwan Report

  1. Hsien Tien Psychological Counselling Clinic, the Community Counseling Center at National Taiwan Normal University collaborates with PAC (People Achievement Consulting) hold serial training workshops for Career Development Instructor (CDI) of NCDA. Training instructors are Dr. Hsiu Lan (Shelley) Tien, Dr. Yu-Jen Wang, Dr. Wei-Fang Lin, and Dr. Rong-Lin Wu. The workshop info: https://www.chinancda.org/zh-TW/course/382?fbclid=IwAR2c7OCEoASx_XoiVyTz1YNBi0CSvU7ifA5khhZlq4yLE-msYnB2Nmg74J0
  2. Serial workshops for woman re-entering workplaces held by Taiwan Women Career Development Association (TWCDA). One of the workshop instructors is the president of TWCDA, Anne RL Chen. The workshop info: https://www.twcda.org/workshop

October 2023 Taiwan Report

  1. People Achievement Consulting (PAC) hold serial training workshops for Master of Career Development (CDM) of NCDA. Training instructor is Dr. Constance J. Pritchard. Workshop info:
https://www.chinancda.org/zh-TW/home

    2. Career Guidance at every level of school:

    • Elementary school: explore personal strengths and interests in classes.
    • High school: explore personal strengths and interests and understand competence required by occupations in classes.
    • University: Career Center holds workshops, talks, and career fairs.

January 2023 Taiwan Report

1.Third Omicron wave

The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Monday (Dec. 26) announced that Taiwan has begun to experience its third Omicron wave and predicted that it will peak at 30,000 daily cases by early February. People who have symptoms such as fever, respiratory symptoms, diarrhea, and an abnormality with the sense of smell and taste should not attend social events

2.New regulations to take effect on 2023.1.1

2.1. Legal age:

The legal age of adulthood is to be lowered from 20 to 18, meaning that 18-year-olds would be able to buy smartphones, rent apartments and sign contracts. However, people would still need to be aged 20 or older to open futures trading accounts or vote in elections.

2.2. Increase of Wage:

The minimum monthly and hourly wages are to increase by 4.55 percent and 4.76 percent respectively.

2.3. Increase childbirth rewards:

Taipei City Government is poised to greatly increase childbirth rewards, which was part of new Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s campaign platform. Chiang promised during the campaign that the rewards for the birth of the first child, the second child, the third child, and any birth after that will be raised to NT$40,000, NT$45,000, NT$50,000, and NT$50,000, respectively, up from the current NT$20,000, NT$25,000, NT$30,000, and NT$30,000, respectively.

3. Taiwan Guidance and Counseling Association台灣輔導與諮商學會 held annual conference on Oct.23, 2022. The theme focusses on “Impermanence & Daily: Mental health & Professionalism”. There were 6 keynote speeches and 7 workshops, forum session and paper presentations.

4. Citizen scientists help urban terminate study achieve research breakthrough

The research was led by Li Hou-feng (李後鋒), a professor in the university’s Department of Entomology, and published in the Journal of Economic Entomology in October. The study is “the most successful survey of urban termites ever undertaken worldwide,” Li said.

With the help of more than 200 members of the public and pest management professionals, the team collected 3,024 samples from 2015 to 2020.The researchers found that the Formosan termite, which is endemic to Taiwan, comprised 45 percent of the samples identified, mostly in northern Taiwan. The Asian subterranean termite, which is an invasive species, accounted for 50 percent of the samples, mostly in southern Taiwan, the study found.

5. TSMS the contract chipmaker build up capacity

TSMC, the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, launched the eighth phase of construction at Fab 18,2023 to mass produce 3-nanometer chips, the most advanced chips available. Apple Inc, Nvidia Inc and Advanced Micro Devices Inc are usually the first adopters of TSMC’s most advanced chips.

TSMC is also building 3-nanometer chip capacity in Arizona. The company earlier this month said that it plans to invest US$40 billion to make 3-nanometer and 4-nanometer chips at its Arizona facilities, which are under construction. TSMC would start plans to build up capacity in Hsinchu Science Park (新竹科學園區) and Kaohsiung in 2023.

6.TWCDA celebration of Christmas

Taiwan Women Career Development Association invited the Chinese Human Resource Association (CHRMA) to have social learning day. President Anne RL Chen shared topic on “ Women Self-actualization and SDGs”.

MIT Saxophone Ensemble was invited to celebrate Christmas with TWCDA members and the publics. There were about 150 participants happily shared this Christmas party at TWCDA Women Empowerment Center, Bopiliao Historic Block, more than 200 years, on Dec. 17,2002.

November 2022 Taiwan Report

A. Human Resources & Career Development

1.Unemployment Rate:

  • In September 2022, the unemployment rate in Taiwan ranged at 3.66 percent. The annual average unemployment rate for 2021 was 3.95 percent.

2. Challenges of Human Resources:

  • Based on the 104 Corporation data, current job vacancies reach one million which is highest record in Taiwan. However, many people still cannot find desirable jobs due to different job set skills and career goals and flexibility etc.

3. Support in Re-Employment after Retirement

  • Ministry of labor has promoted and implement “ Middle -aged and Elderly Employment Promotion Act”. The Act is primarily enacted to implement decent work, enhance the labor participation of the Senior and Middle-Aged Persons, promote the Re-Employment of the Elders, protect economic security, encourage the cooperation between generations and the inheritance of experience, protect the employment rights and interests of the Senior and Middle-Aged Persons and the Elders, construct a friendly employment environment and improve the utilization of human resources.
  • The Employer shall assist in enhancing professional knowledge and ability, adjusting position or improving working facilities, and providing a friendly employment environment according to the needs of the Senior and Middle-Aged Persons and the Elders employed by the Employer. If the Employer employs the Elders who have been retired pursuant to laws to pass down their professional skills and experience, the central competent authority may provide subsidization.

4. Cross-generational workplace

  • More and more companies are facing cross-generational communication challenges.
  • Ms. Anne Rouh-Ling Chen wrote article on “How to improve cooperation & communication across generation at work to strengthen organizational capabilities.” ( Ministry of Labor, Sept.2022 )
  • It is important to understand the social background of the “ the Seniors/ founder”, the baby boomers and Gen. Z . Different mind-set, languages, working styles usually cause misunderstanding and have negative impact to organizational capability and productivity .

5. Right to have Mental Health and Life-long Career Development for all generations

  • World Federation for Mental Health, WFMH (世界心理衛生聯盟) has announced that 1st May,2022 as “ World Mental Helath Day, WMHD” . “ Make Mental Health & Well-Being for All a Global Priority” is the global theme and urge government and civil society work together to realize“ Everyone one has Right to have Mental Health”.
  • Taiwan Federation for Mental Health, TFMH has identified three domain dimensions, ‘Preventive & promotion, Equality & Inclusion,’ as key initiatives to fulfill the global mission “Everyone has Right to have Mental Health.” and Life-long career development for all generations. “

B. Highlights of Education & Cultural / Economic Exchange

1. University of Mississippi Chinese Language Flagship and Project GO Students Spend a Successful Summer Studying Mandarin in Taiwan

  • As summer came to an end, 68 students from the Chinese Language Flagship and Project GO programs at the University of Mississippi finished a short-term study abroad visit to Taiwan with improved Chinese language skills and cultural awareness.

2. Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines Sends the First Group of Filipino Teachers to Taiwan under the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program

  • The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in the Philippines held a send-off lunch at the New World Makati Hotel on 11 August, 2022, for the first group of English teachers and teaching assistants who would be leaving to work in Taiwan under the Taiwan Foreign English Teacher Program.
  • Eligible English teachers from the Philippines are encouraged to apply for positions in Taiwan if they have high-quality English teaching skills. A total of 77 English teachers and 11 teaching assistants from the Philippines have been employed this year, and Taiwan welcomes more Filipino English teachers to join the program in the future.

3. The National Development Council, the Ministry of Education & the Australian Office Sign the Australia–Taiwan English Language Learning Partnership Action Plan 2022

  • Taiwan’s National Development Council, Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, and the Australian Office in Taipei jointly launched the Australia–Taiwan English Language Learning Partnership Action Plan on August 17.The Action Plan will promote a wide range of English language learning initiatives and deepen the already close education, vocational training, talent and youth links between Australia and Taiwan, to help Taiwan achieve its goal of becoming a bilingual nation by 2030.

 4. 55 Malaysian Students Awarded MOE Scholarships to Study in Taiwan

  • A total of 55 Malaysian students were awarded Taiwan Ministry of Education scholarships this year to undertake an academic degree program or a short-term Mandarin course in Taiwan. The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Malaysia held a Ministry of Education Taiwan Scholarship and Huayu Enrichment Scholarship award ceremony and pre-departure orientation for the recipients at Ibis Kuala Lumpur City Centre on July 25, 2022.

August 2022 Taiwan Report

A. Highlights of Education & Cultural / Economic Exchange

1. Life Story of Elite Athletes – Olympic Spirit Campus Tour Lecture to more than 40,000 students
In order to provide life education and career exploration beyond the training of students participating in sports, the Sports Administration of the Ministry of Education entrusted the Chinese Taipei Olympic Committee to organize the “Life Story of Elite Athletes – Olympic Spirit Campus Tour Lecture”, inviting outstanding national players to share their training stories by circuiting schools from this August. The Sports Administration Council points out that sport is a part of education. In addition to the pursuit of excellent performance in competitive sports, we should also pay attention to cultivating a correct and positive attitude in the process of athlete cultivation, and assist athletes in thinking about career planning for retirement in advance.  Through the exemplary athletes talk more about the learning attitude which is the most difficult part in the process of growth, because it is not easy to expound, the athlete lecturers of different sports spend more time in their lectures accompanying with their own impressive stories to inspire the young students. Those athlete lecturers invited include: Zhu Mu-Yan (朱木炎) of Taekwondo, Guo Zin-Chuen (郭婞淳) of Weightlifting, Yang Yong-Wei (楊勇緯) of Judo, Chen Shi-Yuan (陳詩園) of Archery, Huang Yi-Ting (黃義婷) of Rowing, Lu Yan-Xun (盧彥勳) of Tennis, Yang Jun-Han (楊俊瀚) of Athletics, Huang Mei-Qian (黃渼茜) of Swimming, Chen Nian-Qin (陳念琴) of Boxing, Lian De-An (連德安) of Bobsleigh, etc. These lecturers toured around more than 200 high schools to share
2. The Taiwan Huayu BEST Program 
Nine leading universities in Taiwan and ten universities in the US took part in a joint ceremony on June 1, signing MOUs to establish ten more Taiwan Huayu BEST Program language education partnerships. 48 overseas universities have set up Taiwan Huayu BEST Program partnerships with a university in Taiwan. This number now includes 41 universities in the US (collaborating with 17 universities in Taiwan), as well as universities in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.  Benefits for the overseas partner university include having highly trained teachers & teaching assistants sent from Taiwan; scholarships for their students to improve their Mandarin Chinese proficiency in Taiwan; access to a wide variety of learning resources, including TOCFL—Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language—language proficiency testing; and assistance to establishing Mandarin Teaching and Learning Centers on their campus. The scholarship students visiting the Taiwan partner university will also spend some time helping local teachers as they teach English in nearby elementary and secondary schools, and interacting with the young students. 
3.Children’s Chinese Competency Certification tests underway at Magellan International School USA 
In response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, all schools and universities suspended on-campus activities to prevent further spread of the disease, and the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Culture Office in Houston canceled all TOCFL (Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language) tests throughout the southern US for the past two years. The Education Division worked with institutions to hold four TOCFL test sessions and two CCCC (Children’s Chinese Competency Certification) test sessions at universities and schools in the states of Texas and Missouri. These were Rice University in Houston, Texas, the Mandarin Center of the Universities of St. Thomas and Wenzao Ursuline, at the University of St. Thomas, also in Houston, the Consortium of Texas Chinese Language Institutes, Magellan International School in Austin, Texas, and the St. Louis Chinese Language School in Missouri. The Education Division has administered the TOCFL tests in a number of southern states in the United States since 2009. 
4. 2022 Malaysian Teachers’ Teaching Workshop 

Approximately 130 educators participated in the 2022 Malaysian Teachers’ Teaching Workshop from June 4 to June 6. The workshop was jointly organized by the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Malaysia, the Organization of Taiwan Education and Culture Malaysia, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), the Malaysian Conforming Secondary Schools Principals Council, the Chinese Language Section of the State Education Department in Malaysia, the Secondary School Chinese Language Teachers Association in Selangor, Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages, Chung Hua University, and Soochow University.This workshop’s enriched the educators with the fusion of traditional poems and modern teaching skills. 

5.Start-up biz experiences in Thailand at Thailand Industry 4.0 Professional Forum 
A 4-days Career Competence Workshop were conducted by Taiwan Women Career Development Association  in July, 2022. 26 women participated this on-line empowerment program. They learned how to view themselves objectively through the career inventory and re-set their career goal. Another helpful training programs were how to think “out-of-box” and homework and feedback. Many of them mentioned this tailed-made program and professional trainers really help them to understand the real work field better and they are eager to return to work. 

B. Updates on Employment

1.Tips for New graduates and summer vacation job seekers to avoid job hunting scam
Workforce Development Agency calls on young people and graduates to double-check and stay alert when looking for jobs, so as to keep away from job scams: 3 Do’s before interviews: Tell friends and family members the location of the interview or ask for accompany; examine whether the content of the recruitment advertisement is reasonable; collect information on the recruiting company to examine the industry and the position you are applying for. 7 Don’ts during interviews: Do not pay; do not buy; do not apply for a credit card; do not sign a contract; do not leave personal belongings behind; do not drink; do not engage in illegal work.
2. Industrial Human Resources Investment Program
The workers receive a maximum training subsidy of NT$70,000 within three years. The program aims to stimulate the self-learning of in-service workers and to encourage them to participate in in-service training, so as to improve their knowledge, skills, and attitude, and thereby accumulate personal human capital and to increase employment opportunities.
3. Making Taiwan aging society productive
Statistics show that over 85 % the country ‘s elders are fully of capable of daily activities and do not need long term care. It is important to allow seniors to being productive contributes to both their own well-being and that of society. Unemployment among the middle-aged and aboriginals is a more urgent problem. Communities, government agencies and schools could all count on seniors to fill jobs that require experience, patience and professional achievement, given their lifetime of both employment and hobbies. The work could be paid or voluntary, or even a form of continuing education, community based or for the government or private sector.
The workers receive a maximum training subsidy of NT$70,000 within three years. The program aims to stimulate the self-learning of in-service workers and to encourage them to participate in in-service training, so as to improve their knowledge, skills, and attitude, and thereby accumulate personal human capital and to increase employment opportunities.
4. Measures for Promoting Equality in Employment
Female employee having difficulties in performing her work during menstruation period may request one day menstrual leave each month. If the cumulative menstrual leaves do not exceed three days in a year, said leaves shall not be counted toward days off for sick leave. All additional menstrual leaves shall be counted toward days off for sick leave. Wages for menstrual leaves, whether said leaves are sick leaves or non-sick leaves as prescribed in the preceding Paragraph, shall be half the regular wage.
5. Career Competence Workshop for reemployment women
A 4-days Career Competence Workshop were conducted by Taiwan Women Career Development Association in July, 2022. 26 women participated this on-line empowerment program. They learned how to view themselves objectively through the career inventory and re-set their career goal. Another helpful training programs were how to think “out-of-box” and homework and feedback. Many of them mentioned this tailed-made program and professional trainers really help them to understand the real work field better and they are eager to return to work.

May 2022 Taiwan Report

1.Rewards for re-entry women empowerment

The Ministry of Labour launched rewards programs for re-entry women empowerment plan. It really encourages many women to participate and show many brilliant programs. Candidates need to submit their Individual Development Plan for their future career. NT30,000 rewards were given to the 10 winners for empowerment.

2.Study on 2022 Taiwan women on Self realization and work & life:

Taiwan Women Career Development Association (TWCDA) sponsored a result presentation on “ 2022 Taiwan women’s re-entry on self-realization and work & family.” on 4th May 2022. TWCDA invited Dept. of Psychology, Soochow University and UDN media to conduct this nation-wide survey since Dec. 2021 to March 2022.

72% re-entry women are from 32-50 years old. 74% them have dropped from work for 2-15 years. Moreover, 76% of them already have had at least 1 to 15 years working experience before they interrupt their career.

Based on the study, the major factors to affect self-efficacy in job hunting are self-confident, friendliness and psychological capital (hope, resilience, optimism and efficacy) and social support. It is important for HR and managers to focus on personality and psychological capital during the job interview rather than their age and career gaps.

Job redesign, flexible job and working time, part-time and or projects are good for women to take care of children and elders. TWCDA urges the Ministry of Labour to

have long-term and strategic “people investment “ for re-entry women, and value re-entry women as important human resources to business industry.

More than 52,000 people viewed this live streaming and had positive feedback.

3.Higher Education Fair for Indonesian students:

Online 2022 Taiwan Higher Education Fair attracts more than 10,000 Indonesian students. It was jointly organized by the Education Division at the Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Indonesia and the Taiwan Education Center in Surabaya (associated with Asia University). Representatives of 47 universities in Taiwan participated providing information about their programs, admission procedures and scholarships available and the Fair attracted more than 10,000 Indonesian students, as well as parents and teachers.

4.Youth Exchange Program with Japan

With the efforts of the Education Division of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in Japan, along with the support of the Ministry of Education, the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association and the Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association, signed a memorandum of cooperation on strengthening youth exchanges in an online ceremony on February 18.

5.SFPL renews Internship MOUs with 3 universities

San Francisco Public Library (SFPL) has its main library in downtown San Francisco, and before the pandemic, its 27 branches served a total of 6.6 million people each year. In 2016, the Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in San Francisco connected the library with the departments of Library and Information Science of three universities in Taiwan: National Taiwan University, Fu Jen Catholic University, and Tamkang University. This led to each university signing a five-year MOU under which an intern could do SFPL for an internship during the summertime. The pandemic prevented anyone going there in 2020 and 2021 but seven students from the three universities have participated in the internship program since 2017 and loved it.

6. COVID-19 update:

COVID-19 infections in Taiwan are at peak as of May 5. The highest daily average reported 17,925 new infections reported each day.

There have been 202,418 infections and 881 coronavirus-related deaths reported in the country since the pandemic began in 2021.

February 2022 Taiwan Report

1. Pandemic / Omicron Update as of Feb:

Taiwan’s Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced that omicron family clusters infections have gradually spread although numbers remain comparatively low with a dozen or so new cases a day. Officials announced a series of new steps, including a ban on eating and drinking on public transport and limits on the number of people visiting temples etc. Many individuals with Omicron infections showed no symptoms while one half of them had mild symptoms

2. Taiwan Inflation Rate (CPI)

Inflation will be around 3.7% in 2022, compared to 3.4% in 2021. That’s still historically low. Although there might be a home sales drop of about 2% in 2022, predicts sales will outdo pre-pandemic levels. It anticipates that annual median home prices will increase by 5.7% in 2022

3. Labor Force & Career Trends

  • Labor force slightly increased

The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in Taiwan inched up to 3.72 percent in December of 2021 from 3.71 percent in the previous month, which was the lowest level since April. The number of unemployed persons increased by 1 thousand to 443 thousand and the number of employed dropped by 5 thousand to 11.459 million. Meanwhile, the labor force participation rate edged higher to 59.08 percent from 59.06 percent in November 2021.

  • ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance)

PWC has identified 4 factors are pushing ESG forward in Taiwan: regulation, performance, investor demand COVID-19. “Cathy Sustainable & Climate Change Summit” was held successfully on Dec. 7,2021. More than 800 companies/ organization, 1500 participants. Climate Action100+、Asian Utilities Engagement Program and 100% use renewable energy in 2030 and net zero CO2 emission 2050 etc. were highlighted.

  • Most demanding jobs

Because of the high numbers of multinational organizations in Taiwan, most working abroad opportunities for expats are a result of intra-company transfers. The most demanding jobs are IT/ AI, Manufacturing, Finance, Sales & Marketing, ESG/CSR manager/ strategist etc.

  • Future Talent Survey

Based on recent survey conducted by Cheers & National Cheng Kung University, 44% HR pointed out that more than 20% of job content will be re-defined and 80% of managers stated that 20% of employees should upskill or reskill to face future career challenges.

4.Promote mental health

  • Mental Health Alliance

Mental Health Association in Taiwan initiated “Mental Health Alliance” on Jan. 1, 2022. Taiwan Women Career Development Association (TWCDA) are also one of 54 members to promote mental health via periodical meeting. It aims to urge the Ministry of Health and Welfare to separate the Psychology and Oral Health Section into two independent sectors and respond to current people needs.

  • Mindfulness & Career Resilience for doctors & nurses

The Joint Commission of Taiwan conducted 4th Hospital Total Quality executive level training via zoom in Jan. 2022. Three hospital doctors and nurses join on-line workshop on “Mindfulness & Career Resilience “. Ms. Anne Rouh-Ling Chen was the speaker. During the pandemic period, doctors and nurses have experienced mush work load and burn-out. Some of them even stay at hospitals to avoid transmit COVID-19 to their family members.

5. Upcoming events/ activities
  •  Women Empowerment Program

Taiwan Women Career Development Association (TWCDA) will conduct “Women Return to Work Workshop” from March. Moreover, there are more free sessions on line to help them to clarify their needs and concerns in next career development.

  • Generations Cooperation Project

National Association of Small & Medium Enterprises has launched on “Generations　Cooperation Project ” in 2021, encourage elders and young employees cooperation for succession and innovation. The submission of report will be this Feb. About 81% population have engaged in small & medium enterprises, and contributed 50% of business sales.

  • March 8, International Women Day
  • TWCDA fully support IWD 2022 campaign theme: # BreakTheBias
  • We can break the bias in our communities.
  • We can break the bias in our workplaces.
  • We can break the bias in our schools, colleges and universities.
  • Together, we can all break the bias – on International Women’s Day (IWD) and beyond.

November 2021 Taiwan Report

  1. Pandemic Level 2 alert: On October 28, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) reported that as of October 27, 2021, Taiwan’s COVID-19 first-dose coverage reached 70.01% and second dose coverage stood at 30.87%. Taiwan has been under the Level 2 alert since July 27. People are now allowed to enjoy foods at restaurants. 
  2. <span “>For Youth: Youth Career on-line consultation are available for 18-29 years youth. Each of them can have 3 times one-on-one professional career consultations which includes career directions, job search, resume writing and job interview skills etc.
  3. <span “>For aging population: Taiwan Career Development & Consultation Association ‘s annual conference theme is “Facing 2nd half of life-Strategies to facing 100 years old ” . It will be held on line on Nov. 14,2021. Aging population is increasing in Taiwan. Average of life age are 78.1 yrs.  for men and 84.7 yrs. for women in Taiwan which is higher than global average life age. 
  4. HR Strategies: On-line “HR Strategies Conference”, on Oct. 19, 2021, was hosted by  Taichung-Chunghwa-Nantou Regional Branch, Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor , in cooperation with  Harvard Business Review and Vision Magazine.  “Remote Work” and “Innovation Transformation” are the two themes.
  5. Counselling Psychology: Taiwan Counselling Psychology Association (TCPA) conducted annual conference on  Nov. 13. The theme is “New Vision of Counselling Psychology-for Cross-generations and Localization”
  6. For Women to return to work projects:Women Return to Work Workshop: During the pandemic period, Taiwan Women Career Development Association (TWCDA) has conducted the 2 workshops on “Women Return to Work Workshop” on Sept. and Oct. Another advance workshop on “Career Competence” was in Sept.

 

  • One–on-one career consultation: 50 women availed of free one–on-one career consultation with career counselors and HR professionals. It has been great help for individual concerns such as middle age, lack support of husband and mother in-laws, insufficient of job searching skills etc.
  • Working mother challenges during pandemic: Eastern TV and People’s TV paid great attention to the working mothers, how they manage remote office work and child studies at home, households and relationship with remote work husbands during pandemic period.
  • Scholarship for re-entry women: Ministry of Labor launched a special scholarship program (from Nov. to Dec.2021) to encourage women for self-development. Awardees will be granted NT$ 30.000 for empowerment. And companies are also encouraged to hire re-entry women.

August 2021 Taiwan Report

Update on COVID-19 PANDEMIC in Taiwan
  • Nationwide Pandemic Level 2 from July 26 to Aug. 29; Nationwide Pandemic Level 3 from May 19 to July 26.
    As of Aug.7, Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC)announced that of the 15,765 confirmed cases, 1,282 are imported; 14,430 are domestic, 36 are naval crew members aboard etc. 813 were dead. 19 confirmed cases as of Aug. 9.
  • Stimulus programs to economics
    Stimulus programs to economics including employment-related and financial relief measures were launched. The voucher incentives is primarily to support the retail and service sectors and tuition.
  • Vaccination program:
    The COVID-19 vaccine roll-out has begun with some assistance from the U.S. and Japan.  About 37% of population were vaccinated The acceleration of the vaccination program will be the most helpful method to minimize the potential impact of the prolonged pandemic crisis in Taiwan & global economy.
  • Workforce challenges:
    Work-from-home WFH model; digital transformation, encouraging companies and the overall workforce to be more agile and flexible.
Remote Counseling & Remote Consultation
  1. Demand of Remote (distance) counseling or consultation: While WFH, people have experienced more anxiety, tension with family members; increasing of depression cased caused by jobless or layoff; parents & students showed more personal concerns about effectiveness of on-line studies; more women are forced to go back to family etc.
  2. A new ”SpaQall Digital Employee-Assistance Program” (d-EAP)
    SpaQall was launched timely in July to provide on-line consultation services for individual & companies via mobile. The SpaQall services covers 5 areas: psychology, Career &  Organization, Legal, Insurance & Finance and health. Client can use mobile APP easily to talk or type messages  to professional counselor, career coach and expertise by on-line appointment. Such timely digital services help people a lot with accessibility,confidentiality, safety, and time saving. 
Upcoming Program/Events
  • Employee Engagement
    By investing in employee engagement, your company will be able to increase productivity, work quality, and retain top talent. Chinese Human Resources Management, Anne RL Chen will conduct “ Employee Engagement “ to HR on Aug. 22.
  • Taiwan Guidance and Counseling Association:
    TGCA Annual conference  will be on Oct. 23; theme: Pandemic challenges and training for guidance counselors.
  • ATD 21@Home
    Association of Talent Development International Expo will be launched  from Aug.29-Sept.1 in Salt Lake City, USA 
Tokyo Olympics 2020 Best Summer Sports Lessons in 2021 : ​​​​​​
  • Best Sportsmanship
  • Resilience of athletes
https://www.spaqall.com.tw
Update on COVID-19 PANDEMIC in Taiwan
  • Mindfulness to reduce pandemic stress
    Anne RL Chen wrote several articles about Mindfulness tips to reduce WFH stress at home & work as posted on United Daily News, and she also invited by “HR weekend” & EMBA Soochow University to share via zoom, google meet in July. Other on-line Mindfulness programs, MBSR, Mindfulness are blooming to help people to reduce stress, interpersonal relationship, loneliness and insomnia etc.
  • Provide “Women Shared Platform” for Women Potentials
    Taiwan Women Career Development Association (TWCDA) invited successful career mother cases to share their experiences how to launch new job and keys to face learning as a new employee and tips how to balance work & family.
    Open invitation to women potentials to share their interests and expertise via google meet, zoom etc. This aims to provide a trial platform for mothers / women returners. They were happy to be appreciated by the participants and increased more self-confidence.
Empowerment programs
  1. Employee Interview Skills & Career Association of Labor Relation invited Anne RL Chen to conduct virtual training to executives & HR on July 21. This covered three parts: keys of interview skills, remote  interview and career development programs for new employees.
  2. Women & the Pandemic In partnership with “People’s TV” &” Eastern Television”, Taiwan Women Career Development Association” pointed out that how women have been seriously affected mentally, physically and work. Women have experienced more layoff, quitting jobs and more household responsibilities, facilitating children’s studies, inequality of work, and domestic violence etc. This are important issues to be recognized by the public and take interventions. Meanwhile, business & HR are urged to take action to re-design job and adopt flexible working hours system especially for remote working mothers by the limits of the pandemic.
  3. One-on-one career consultation for women With sponsorship of the Labor Development Agency, Ministry of Labor ,TWCDA provide one-on-one career consultation for women starting June. Each one may avail free career consultation for 50 mins. with counsellors, career coach and HR managers based on their concerns. Clients have positive feedback

May 2021 Taiwan Report

Opening of “Women Empowerment Center”

Taiwan Women Career Development Association ( TWCDA) launched “Women Empowerment Center” at  Bopiliao Historic Street on Feb. 21, 2021. This Old Street’s history dates back to Qing Dynasty.  It is located in Mengjia, the first area being cultivated in Taipei, making it iconic in Taiwanese history. Women Empowerment Center has 2 floors, women exhibits and training area. We aim to raise the awareness of all visitors (kids, mothers, young people, students of all genders). Everyone will have a 2nd thought about his/her career: to have a Second Chance; to make a Second Choice; to develop a Second Career.

Career Vision and Narratives

Professor FaHong  & Ms. Pong of Dept. of Counselling Psychology of Chinese Culture University studied “The relationship of Career Vision and Narratives.” He pointed out the importance of Career Vision. His team also explored the use of art media or photos to reinforce narrative career counselling and practical ways to construct career vision.

Career Counseling for Indigenous Students at Chang Jung Christian University

Under the guidance of Youth Development Administration of the Ministry of Education, Chang Jung Christian University Indigenous Student Resource Center cooperated with the Career Development and Alumni Center to provide more than two hundred indigenous students with various innovative career activities using the Tastu Lumah platform. This has not only helped them understand themselves and discover the links between professional skills and social demands but also has led them onto career paths.

Update on COVID-19 in Taiwan

As of 4 May, 2021, 1160 persons are confirmed with COVID-19, 12 deaths and 1074 recovered.  All business, school, concert activities below 100 persons are as usual. People need to follow epidemic prevention measures strictly to keep family and employees healthy.  On May 5, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) announced seven new confirmed imported cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Taiwan.

Education: The Program on Bilingual Education for Students in College

In response to the globalization and development trends of digital technology, international communication is an indispensable ability for the new generation of talent. The Ministry of Education (MOE) will launch “The Program on Bilingual Education for Students in College” in September, 2021, so that students will not only stand at the forefront of international professional knowledge, but also develop the abilities to communicate and cooperate with international professionals and work globally. This new program will focus on promoting the two main points of “cultivation of major domains” and “popularized enhancement” to strengthen students’ English proficiency, promote English-taught courses or English as a Medium of Instruction courses (EMI) and enhance the overall international competitiveness of higher education.

Foreign Students are Allowed to Enter Taiwan

In accordance with directions from the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC), the Ministry of Education has announced that students in an additional four categories are allowed to apply to enter from April 1, 2021. These categories are: Huayu Enrichment Scholarship recipients, Taiwan Huayu BEST Scholarship recipients, students sponsored under a bilateral educational cooperation agreement, and students with special entry permits. This will affect approximately 1,400 students.

Donation of COVID-19 Safety Kits in California

The Education Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco donated Covid-19 Safety Kits to West County Mandarin School in California. The kits were delivered to the school on March 17, when California schools were preparing to reopen in April.

October 2020 Taiwan Report by Anne Rouhling Chen

  1. Update on COVID-19 in Taiwan
    As of Oct. 29, there has been no city lockdown and mass screening in Taiwan. The ICT and AI were used to facilitate border control, contact tracing and tracking, precision testing, home quarantine, cell broadcast and name-based mask rationing. Solidarity is the key for the successful containment of COVID-19 and maintenance of economic vitality.
  2. Actions to move toward SDGs 8 during COVID-19
    SDGs 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
    1. Women return to work:During the pandemic, Taiwan Women Career Development Association (TWCDA) was able to conduct career resilience workshop and one-on-one career counseling and Career Adjustment Group smoothly in Taipei and Hsinchu. 35% of women participants were able to return to work including full-time, part-time and entrepreneur etc.
    2. Financial assistance program to young people in seeking jobs
      • Young people, 15-29 years, have been out of job for more than 6 months
      • Able to get a job within 3 months after career guidance and counseling service in TAIWAN JOBS
      • Continue to work for 3 months successfully
      • Will be rewarded with NT 30.000 ( about USA $1,000)
    3. SDGs on Gender Equality
      亞洲貨幣 (Asiamoney Magazine, Oct. 2020) announced that Fubon Financial ranked as 9th in hiring female employee among Asia Bank, and ranked as 1st in Taiwan; hire 70% female graduates and ranked as 4th among Asia Bank. Fubon Financial have to UN SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) especially on Gender Equality to build friendly gender workplace. Women hold 54.8% of all managerial positions, maintaining balance in gender ratio.
  1. Global NGO Forum on International Development:
    Global NGO Forum on International Development was held from Oct. 5-6, 2020, in Taipei, Taiwan. Inclusive Partnership between Governmentand Civil Society in International Development is the main theme. Mr. Sam Worthington, CEO, InterAction, USA was the keynote speaker on Social Impact and Innovation in International Development Programming. Dr. Hung-mao Tien , Chairman and President , Institute for National Policy Research was the moderator. There were about 200 participants attend and had very interactive Q & A with international speakers from Canada, Nepal, Korea, Fiji, Philippines etc.
  2. ATD 2020 Asia Pacific Conference in Dec:
    Association of Talent Development will conduct Asia Pacific Conference in Taipei, Taiwan from Dec. 2-3, 2020. 
    ATD 2020 Asia Pacific Conference features international speakers, covering topics such as creating a culture of learning, future talent trends, learning analytics, and learning innovation. https://apc.td.org/about
  3. Extension of renewal of professional license:
    All counselors and clinical psychologist etc. are required to renew license on or before Dec. 31, 2020. Those who do not have enough continuing education requirements due to COVID-19 may have 6 months extension.
  4. Mindfulness to recover career resilience:
    Mindfulness programs including MBSR to recover career resilience & EQ and coping with career transition etc. are more popular recently. Doctors, nurses, RD, PM and customer services etc. find Mindfulness are helpful to reduce their stress, anxiety and improve sleeping quality.

July 2020 Taiwan Report by Anne Rouhling Chen

COVID-19 updates:

  • Level 1 of the CECC(Central Epidemic Command Center) was established due to the global epidemic situation getting worse. Dr. Shih-Chung Chen, the Minister of Health and Welfare was designated by the Premier as the commander to coordinate and mobilize resources from across ministries and private stakeholders to fight against COVID-19.
  • Month 07/2020 (Cumulative Cases of Current Month):  0 case
  • Year 2020 (Cumulative Cases of Current Year):  5 cases
  • Travel Health Notices for International Destinations
  • Level 3 warning travel to non-essential travel to all Countries
  • Taiwan Career Development & Consultation Association (TWCDA) conducted its annual conference on July 11, 2020. The theme focused on “Chinese Career Theory and Practice, New System and New Technology.”
  • Professor Liu Shu Hui, Director of Chinese Career Research Center of National Changhua University presented her studies on: “Yi Ching” ??& Career Development.” She integrates “Yi Ching, the Book of Change” (1000–750 BC) with western career development theories, to help the clients to understand & cope with career changes by Eastern wisdom.
  • Unemployment of new graduates: Unemployment rate and financial constraints caused by COVID-19 & economic cutbacks have impacted new graduates; many of them get part-time jobs and also take further training to enhance their competencies and employability. This unemployment situation also shapes high school graduates’ class choices, job needs.
  • Taiwan Women Career Development Association (TWCDA) has conducted three 4-day workshops for the women returners in Taipei and HsinChu. The participants are from 30-60 years old. They showed their determination and desire to have full attendance. One on one career consultation was offered by certified counselors & HR professionals to help clients to deal with personal family & career issues. Some of them already become office lady and or career women. They form “Brave Mermaid” groups continue to learn and support each others and “Brave to Change.”
  • Professor Liu Kun-Hui celebrated his 90th birthday on 8 April. He is the pioneer in guidance & counseling education and initiator & promoter of counseling psychologists in Taiwan.

April 2020 Taiwan Report by Anne Rouhling Chen

Taiwan joins global COVID-19 battle:;

President Tsai Ing-wen said on Apr 01,2020:
“With the nation’s daily production having reached 13 million masks and soon to reach 15 million, the government is to donate 10 million masks to medical personnel in nations most severely affected by the coronavirus.”

*Taiwan Strategies in COVID-19 to slow down the virus’ spread:

  1. To adopt a case-by-case tracking system to test elderly people and have carefully identified locals and visitor
  2. To cancel public gatherings, implemented mandatory 14 days quarantines, enforced effective border controls and promoted the importance of personal hygiene through the media and public health education, since early February
  3. Those who refuse to wear face masks on public transport after being advised to do so will be fined up to NT$ 15,000 (US $500).
  4. With the COVID-19 spread worldwide escalating, people remain cautious about the negative impact on the local economy; consumer vouchers as part of financial stimulus package

To continue to empower women:  

  Unemployment rate have increased due to COVID-19, the Taiwan Women Career Development

  Association  conduct “ Preparation to Return to Work” to empower those who have desire to be career women.

*To Promote Mental Health 

1. Professor Chang of The Public Health & Hygiene Department of Taiwan National University indicated that, “ “education , connection and promote” are three important ways to help people to reduce psychological stress  and social distancing during COVID-19 period. 

2. Key words/ skills to help people: 

Five keys words for adult: peace, clam, can, connect, help.

Four skills to help children: know, understand, love, always.

3 # Mindovercovid19

Taiwan Women Career Development /TWCDA  joins The Mental Health Association in Taiwan to promote positive mind to cope with COVID-19 in FB. # Mindovercovid19

Take a breath,  Mindfulness with gratitude, 

Take a breath,  Bless the COVID-19 patients , nurses & doctors!

May all of us have peace & health!!!

November 2019 Taiwan Report by Anne Rouhling Chen

1. Professor Tien Hsiu-Lan :” 2019 Distinguished Career Educator Award ”

Professor Tien Hsiu-Lan has been nominated as the “2019 Distinguished Career Educator” , by  PAC (People Achievement Consulting; strategic partner of NCDA /National Career Guidance Association) . This special award will be given to Professor Tien  in this coming NCDA & Chinese Career Association annual meeting on Dec. 15, 2019 in China.

Professor Tien has devoted her studies and scholarly work on the application of Career development in Chinese communities, such as Career Adaptability Measures, Career Decision-Making Difficulties Measure, and her articles & books on Career Counseling and Guidance-Theories and Practices etc. She is one of the founders of APCDA and Research Committee Director. 

2. 2019 Global Youth Trends Forum:”

The 2019 Global Youth Trends Forum was launched on Nov. 10, 2019, by Youth Development Administration of the Ministry of Education, Taiwan.  The youths from 26 countries have put forward action plans regarding the three topics,

 

 (A) examining the differences between innovative and traditional education from the perspective of youth, and further discussing the next step of education;

 

(B)turning back to hometown for the land and culture that raise us, and exploring how to revitalize local settlements;

(C) looking into the future of science and technology, and bringing technological intelligence into life to improve the well-being of all mankind.

3. Taiwan and Austria Higher Education Science and Research Seed Funding

Nation’s First Implementation of “Taiwan and Austria Higher Education Science and Research Seed Funding” Scholarships 23 Students Received Scholarships to Go to Austria For Have Studies, Research, and Exchanges

4. National Career Guidance Supervisors Forum

National Career Guidance Supervisors Forum for universities and colleges  were held in Aug. 2019. The theme focus on interaction and resources sharing among 16 schools in Taiwan, China and other countries. Another key points are how to integrate and maximize resources with business industries.

5. Teacher Career Guidance Empowerment Workshop

The curriculum of elementary / junior high school is under revised in line with fast changing world. . Teacher Career Guidance Empowerment Workshop aims to upgrade teachers’ understanding of new trends.

September 2019 Taiwan Report by Anne Rouhling Chen

  • TCDCA annual conference: Taiwan Career Development & Consulting Association(TCDCA) held annual conference from June 21-23, 2019, held at Fu-Jen University, Taipei, Taiwan. The theme was “ Organizational Career Management & Consulting.” Speakers from different sectors: Ministry of Labor, EAP, Chinese Human Resources Management Association etc., shared their professional experience and support successfully.
  • COCC: Based on the survey, TCDCA board committee found that organization career consulting was the highest need. Most of the psychologists / counselors and career counselors are trained for individual service, the “Certified Organizational Career Consultation Program” was introduced and had great echo.
  • Paticca-samuppada: Eastern Wisdom for Chaos of Careers: Professor Jin Shuh Ren, who has been dedicated to career counseling for more than 20 years, conducted a one day workshop on “Paticca-samuppada: Eastern Wisdom for Chaos of Careers.” He integrates eastern & western career counseling theories and practices and applies many Chinese philosophy viewpoints. Cause & effect can be predicated, but “YUAN” cannot be predicted. Yuan is the Chinese wisdom to face career uncertainty. This is really a wonderful local touch career workshop for participants.
  • Taiwan Women Career Development Association: TWCDA were launched on Aug. 13, 2019. The mission of TWCDA aims to support women ( re-entry women, career women, single mother, single lady etc.) to face career challenges in different life stages and to provide program and career consulting service to assist them to maintain wellbeing between family and work. 10% of male members show strong support to this new starting NPO.
  • Student Autonomy: The Youth Development Administration, Ministry of Education, held the 2019 College Extracurricular Activity Supervisors Convention to seek solutions to student autonomy. There were 130 participants. Campus conflict resolution and skills transfer and training were hot topics and guided by experienced facilitators in counseling autonomous student organizations.
  • Mindfulness & Career Guidance: The Ministry of Labor sponsored a workshop on “Mindfulness & Career Guidance” for colleges & universities faculty and staff of career development services. Ms. Anne RL Chen was invited to facilitate this theme. Participants shared that mindfulness enable them to develop self awareness in their body and mental stress and can improve their work quality.

Using Taiwan Work Style Career Counseling and Bilateral Selection System by Liang-Chen Lu, Tao-Yuan Yang, and Sy-Feng Wang

  • In an era of industrial transformation and global economy, the Employment Consultation System of Taiwan Government is faced with the challenge of transformation, and expected to solve the problems: (1) the complication of occupational classification and contents. e.g. occupational categories are extended from 380 in 2002 to 505 nowadays, and occupational function and demands are much more complex; (2) the demand & supply unbalance of the labor market – there are numerous tools to evaluate what kind of work a job seeker suits, but few tools to evaluate it from the angle of talent seekers, which can endanger job seekers.

    To solve these problems, the Taiwan workforce development agency entrusted Professor Wang and his team from Fu Jen University to build up a new career counseling and bilateral selecting system. This system is based on Taiwan work style (TWS), the compound personality traits relating with workplace, and connected to 505 occupations within Taiwan Standard Classification of Occupations. When job seekers use the finding-fit-job function, they can find the most congruent job. If job seekers and talent seekers use the bilateral first selection function, they can develop congruence between the needs of human practice of a company and the adaptation and development of a job seeker.

    To develop TWS using the new system, we interviewed representative companies within every industry, collecting thoughts and suggestions of experts from I/O psychology, management, and statistics, and then developing the TWS scale. TWS was assessed with 59 items, containing 13 sub-scales, ? ranging from .72 to .85 (Md=.80). TWS is framed by Five-Factor Model and adopted the concept of Criterion-Focused Compound Traits (Ones et al., 2005) to link up practice with theory. The scales also showed a comparable pattern of construct validity with other similar measures and a great expert validity.

    With regard to the concept of Criterion-Focused Compound Traits, TWS exhibited more reasonable or substantial prediction. The system is very easy-to-test. Each user can understand what job they suit and what work style is significant. Users also can discuss their output with a counselor.

  • Career development typically contains several career choices. The more a conscious selected work is suitable for a job seeker, the easier he or she will develop the talents and gain the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment. The job seeker also will remain in their job longer. For enterprises, conscious selected work will not only improve performance of staff, but also produce synergies in their company if the employee can develop their talents in the suitable position or company. Understanding the work style is both conducive to handling one’s own career direction by connecting to their own personality, and assisting an individual to develop functional dominance or right habits by corresponding to related workplace behaviors. Through the new system in government or personal counseling, the kind of work suited to an individual, an individual’s style in workplace, and/or whether an individual needs to adjust self or work style can be evaluated.?https://exam2.taiwanjobs.gov.tw/Onet/TWS_Explanation /?For the Business Guidance Application in an organization, besides assisting an individual to understand the organization and handle its work, it can also be used in the aspects of department communication and employer-employee mutual understanding, thus adjusting talent demand, etc. ?https://exam2.taiwanjobs.gov.tw/Onet/TWS_Explanation/? We hope this new career counseling and selecting system can help both job seekers and talent seekers find what they want; leading to a greater match between supply and demand in the labor market.
    1. Ones D.S., Viswesvaran C., & Dilchert S. (2005).Personality at work: Raising awareness and correcting misconceptions. Human Performance, 18, 389-404.
      2. Muchinsky, P. M., & Monahan, C. J. (1987). What is person-environment congruence? Supplementary versus complementary models of fit. Journal of vocational behavior, 31(3), 268-277.

September 2019 Country Report

Liang-Chen Lu, Ph.D., CDFI (stevenlu@tsquare.cc) received his I/O Psychology doctorate degree from Fu-Jen University. He is the Cofounder and CEO of TSquare system design Co., Ltd. in Taiwan. TSquare is a unique company provides O2O customized career design solutions for the coming unpredictable world.
Tao-Yuan Yang, Ph.D. student, hearbug@gmail.com in I/O Psychology at Fu-Jen University. He is the assistant of Research Center of Occupational Asessment, Development & Health (ADHC), and RD of TSquare system design Co.
Sy-Feng Wang sfwang817@gmail.com, a professor in the Department of Psychology, and a director of the Research Center of Occupational Assessment, Development & Health, in Fu-Jen Catholic University, Taiwan. He is also one of major researchers & developers of CVHS, which is a career information system developed by Fu-Jen University and shared and used by other 15 universities in Taiwan.

Taiwan Facing Life Span Career Changes and Opportunities by Anne Rouh-Ling Chen

by Agnes Banyasz, APCDA Australia Representative

1. Changes and Challenges in Taiwan 1.1. Facing up to Fewer Young People and Aging Population With low birth rate and life expectancy increasing, the aging of Taiwan population has raised important issues and resulted in business opportunities. As of November 2015, 12.5 % of the 21 million population was 65 or above. The average life expectancy of Taiwanese was 79.8 years in 2014 based on the data from Ministry of the Interior. The World Health Organization already classified Taiwan as a society with an aging population. When we see our parents, we can see their declining energy and slowing footsteps. However, the ways to deal with the aging process is much different nowadays. Many elderly people are not willing to go to the elder institutes. The government and society need to offer other alternatives such as providing health care at home and in community centers.

  • 1.2. Change of Manpower Structure
    The labor participation rate in Taiwan, aged 15 and older who work, was 58.81 % in 2015. Growth of elder population was 12%. The unemployment rate was 3.95% as of Oct. 2016. There were about 10 wage earners in Taiwan for every senior citizen in 1993. But the ratio will flatten out to about 2-3 wage earners for every senior in 2033. The younger generations will face the burden of aging family members. The shift in the age structure of Taiwan’s population has enormous implications for the labor force, the education system and the quality of life for the elderly. Moreover, with only one or two or perhaps no children in families, the future generations will have fewer siblings. They are more educated and receive more support from their parents. They are inclined to have less patience to face work frustrations and need more help in social interpersonal relationships and teamwork. Nevertheless, the young people have innovative ideas, learn fast and possess strong energy.

    1.3. Challenges of Current Educational System
    Last December, Mr. Wu, Minister of Education in Taiwan, pointed out that fewer new born, globalization and digitalization are the three major challenges faced by higher education. Resources for students to gain knowledge which are not limited to classroom teaching, textbook and teachers can help. Learning innovation, professionalism, regional innovative integration and joining with industry for more research, innovation and international alliances are some of the multiple developments currently in the works. The merging or integration of 159 colleges and universities into 100 schools across the next five years is also being implemented.

  • Below are the four major business trends in Taiwan and their implication for new career services:

    2.1 Aging population with low retirement rate:
    Health care services including career counseling for elders, re-construction of family relationships, medical care and home care systems etc. will be increasing. More companies will be encouraging employees to have more babies and offering maternity leave. Many retired people have started their new career as entrepreneurs and consultants. They are sharing their wisdom and profound work experience with young people to start-up or develop new business models especially in innovative products, culture, design and agriculture.

2. Looking Beyond for Future Career

2.2 More internet population: More than 20 billion people use internet and smart phones, as reported by the Computer Industry Almanac. More than 42% of Taiwanese use internet, at least 2 hours per day. Mobile offices will be replacing brick and mortar ones. *Implication to career services Virtual office and team members are increasing. Flatter organizational structure, cooperative culture and work ethics need to be re-shaped for different generations – baby boomers, X generation and digital generation.

  • 2.3. High work mobility
    International companies prefer to hire middle management and young people with high mobility. People will have more business trips or work as expatriates, especially in China and South East Asian countries/regions.

    *Implication to career services:
    Cross-cultural counseling service and career shifting programs will enhance their performance and improve teamwork.

    2.4. Change of business model and career services
    Innovation of young start-ups are on the rise. iKeybo is the world’s first virtual projection multilingual (English, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic) keyboard & piano. It was developed by Serafim by eight young experts in 2010. They have great passion to reach their profession to offer affordable, useful and cool consumer electronics for a better computing experience. Another unique design “Hear Me”, developed for blind people, won the world class Red Dot Award in 2014. This special product was created by two young compassionate students, Miss Lin Ei-Chin, student of Industrial Design Department at National Taiwan University Science and Technology, and Miss I-Shuan Tsai, student of Digital Content Master Program of National Chengchi University. “Hear Me” is now available at APP stores for those who need to record their life or thoughts.

    *Implication to career services:
    People are always watching mobile devices; continually responding to friends and/or office messages. Because digital information is faster paced and demands quick response, this leads to increasing anxiety and stress. On-line career consultation and or counseling can be another good source to help handle stress as well as facilitate better interpersonal interactions. Inter-disciplinary studies and cross boundary cooperation will play important roles in new products and job opportunities.

    Finally, it is time for us do more in-depth reflections, especially with respect to our Chinese career model and study. Taiwan has her own unique historical background and blends of traditional Chinese culture, Confucianist beliefs and some western values. Nowadays, Taiwan has a highly industrialized and export-driven economy. Blending western career theories with Chinese philosophy to develop suitable local career professional paths is one of the future challenges for career professionals in Taiwan.

     

The Challenges of Implementing Career Development in Elementary Schools in Taiwan by Yu-Chen Wang

In Taiwan, career practice was implemented first in junior and senior high school, then in universities. Recently, it has been added at the elementary school level. While a number of career courses and activities have been specifically designed for the junior and senior high school levels, career development at the elementary level has not been easy to implement. There have been three main challenges in implementing career development at the elementary level. The first challenge has been getting enough teachers to buy into the method completely. One of the reasons for their hesitancy is that many did not receive adequate training in career development when they were trained to be elementary school teachers, since career development is an elective, and few teachers have elected to take it (Hu & Chen, 2011, p.101). The second challenge is the longstanding view of teachers, administrative staff, and parents that it is not necessary to implement career development in elementary school since there is a lack of immediate relevancy (Tien, 2011). Since all elementary students will eventually progress to junior high school, they can receive career planning there. The third challenge has been collecting enough data to evaluate the efficacy of career development practice. One reason for this is that the government has integrated career development into every subject at the elementary school level, so career education is not a specific stand-alone subject (Hu & Chen, 2011). While there are general goals for students at the elementary school level (Taiwan Elementary and Secondary Education Community, 2009), there are no clearly defined goals or standards at each specific grade level of elementary school. As a result, there are no textbooks or specifically-designed materials, and teachers do not have enough motivation or sufficient background to create materials.

The second solution is to incorporate discrete career exploration classes into the elementary school curriculum. The content of these classes should focus on allowing students to explore professions, offer hands-on experiential learning opportunities, and provide a forum to discuss students’ individual work-related preferences. Such classes will enable students to gain better self-awareness and understanding of their interests.

The third solution is to increase parents’ buy-in. Some school activities such as volunteering to go on field trips or speaking to classes about their own careers are designed to get parents involved in career education. The benefits of getting parents to buy-in are that parents will learn the value of career education, and potentially serve as additional resources to educate students about various career paths.

In summary, implementing career development programs at the elementary school level in Taiwan has been met with three main challenges. These challenges include inadequate teacher training, the lack of buy-in from teachers, parents and administrators and lack of data related to program efficacy. As a result of not being exposed to career development in elementary schools, many students are at a disadvantage. However, if we make career training required in teacher training programs, incorporate career exploration classes into the curriculum at the elementary school level, and obtain parents’ buy in, we can overcome the main barriers and ensure that students gain exposure to career knowledge and increase their own self-awareness.

The Difficulties of Career Guidance for Junior High School in Taiwan by Hui-Chuang Chu

  • The Difficulties of Career Guidance for Junior High School in Taiwan by Hui-Chuang Chu In recent years, Taiwan’s government passed the law – Student Guidance and Counseling Act. There were some guidelines in the law for school administrators to offer some career guidance service for students. Initially, the goal of the law was to facilitate junior high school students developing better future careers. However, there were some difficulties with project implementation. First, not all teachers were experienced with the concept of career guidance. Second, the limitation of the school schedule left little room for an in depth career course. Third, the textbook being used for the course provided only surface information to the students. Fourth, parents were not supportive of the career course. They mistakenly believed a career course would cause their sons and daughters to skip pursuing higher education and enter the work stage too soon. Additional issues effecting implementation of the Student Guidance and Counseling Act included the ongoing reality that students usually chose careers which their parents wanted. Another included career guidance staff, without reasonable responsibilities assigned, spending too much time with paper work. A final difficulty involved the finding that that the learning support program outside school required a network with enough resources for all the students to use. Although the intention of career guidance requirement for junior high school in Taiwan was good, implementation improvement was needed. According to clinical work experience, we figured out some suggestions. Rather than one textbook, career information needed to be embedded across all courses and projects across a student’s school schedule. For teachers, this means that career guidance should not require extra time. We also saw the need to increase the collaboration between parents and teachers. We worked on enhancing parents’ acceptance of technical and vocational education. We felt that this effort could change the stereotype of these pursuits within Taiwan’s society. Additionally, we worked on setting up the full time staff to follow the youth and apply the concept of a tertiary prevention system. Lastly, we began to integrate all school evaluation with both quantity and quality context. In combining both theory and clinical work, we maximized the benefits for career guidance for junior high school students in Taiwan.

Career Guidance in Senior High School in Taiwan by Shu Han Yang

by Laurie Nowell

The development of career guidance in Taiwan has been moving forward for nearly 30 years. After the Multiple Pathways to College Admission Program was initiated for high school students in 2002, career guidance drew growing attention within senior high schools. However, two challenges are facing career guidance services in senior high schools in Taiwan. Firstly, students’ career choices tend to be influenced by their family and the social context; students are unable to select the choices that they really want. Secondly, due to the fact that Taiwan is an exam-driven society, students’ interests and potentials are not greatly valued and appropriately explored. Therefore, the tasks of career guidance services in high schools are to assist students in exploring or clarifying what they want to do and what they want to be. The counseling centers in high schools provide services to students regarding the following

The counseling centers in high schools provide services to students regarding the following aspects:

Career counseling guidance programs contain three parts: self-exploration, college major choice or occupational exploration, and assisting students in evaluating the impact of family and social environment on their career choices. The counseling centers design and provide career courses lasting one semester or one academic year. Weekly guidance classes help students explore themselves by discovering their own personality traits, interests, aptitudes and values.

    1. Individual career counseling or group career counseling and career assessment administration: The counseling centers help students fully explore themselves via group or individual psychological assessments, card sorts, career exploring groups, etc. Through these activities, students can gradually develop an awareness of themselves.
    2. Diversified activities: The counseling centers also help students obtain information about college major choices and occupation choices by arranging 18 college reports in the class, college department visits, university department seminars, multiple pathways to college seminars, professional introduction seminars, and university camps, mock interviews for college entrance exam preparation, and establishing career information websites, etc. Students can understand and differentiate their favorite majors during this strongly participative process.

Working with Immigrants - A Personal Australian Perspective

by Agnes Banyasz

Taiwanese government has been promoting a Twelve-Year Public Education Program in recent years, which advocates aptitude guidance implementation in school and hopes to offer students more diverse opportunities to fully participate in career exploration. For career education, the Ministry of Education developed several plans to guide students to explore their own futures. The following is a brief summary of career development education in Taiwan:

Technical Arts Education:

This is a mature and well-developed education policy that has been implemented in Taiwan for junior high school students for a long time. The purpose of this policy is to develop students’ abilities of self-exploration, career exploration, simulation observation, developing practical skills, and career preparation. Technical Arts Education Program establishes a vocational group plan that includes 13 vocational groups: Electrical Engineering and Electronic Engineering Group, Mechanical Engineering Group, Power Mechanical Engineering Group, Chemical Engineering Group, Civil Engineering and Architecture Group, Design Group, Hospitality Group, Commerce and Management Group, Home Economics Group, Agriculture Group, Food Science Group, Fishery Management Group, and Marine Technology Group. Schools may establish one to four vocational groups according to students’ interests and needs. The ninth graders who possess greater abilities, aptitudes, or interests in learning technical arts or who have poor academic performance may take courses respectively from one to two vocational groups in the first and second semesters in the ninth grader year. Some courses are provided within the students’ junior high schools and some courses are provided through school cooperation with other junior high schools, senior high schools, technical institutes, vocational training centers, or nongovernmental organizations. Students who take technical arts courses start from practical skill development. The lessons of the technical arts courses are very different from common junior high school education.

The technical arts education program is very important and meaningful to junior high school students. The students who take technical arts courses not only satisfy their needs of learning, the courses taken may also result in students learning some practical skills. Those who have taken the relevant vocational courses will be recommended to enter five-year junior colleges before the entrance exams. These high school courses are viewed as a bridge to vocational school courses. Therefore, the technical arts courses are very helpful for the students’ future education route. Besides, the learning process of the technical arts courses may arouse students’ interests in learning, and further develop self-identity as well as confidence toward their future.

Career Navigator Dashboard (Digital Student Career Counseling System)

The Career Navigator Dashboard (CND) is a digital career counseling system that was developed by the Taipei City Government. The CND is used to integrate students’ school performance in learning and in daily life, and it is “a Taken-Away Gift for the graduates” when the students graduate from junior high school. This is an e-book as a reference for future advanced studies and career counseling. The CND integrate students’ performances in daily life, including My Growth Story, Learning Achievements and Special Performances, Service Learning, the Results of Psychological Tests, Career Integration and Future Plans, the Feedback from Homeroom Teachers, the Feedback from Parents, etc. For junior high school students in Taiwan, schoolteachers and parents play key roles for students’ future career development. Therefore homeroom teachers and parents also have access to operating this digital student career counseling system. Homeroom teachers and school guidance counselors regularly provide information related to their observation and feedbacks on students’ characteristics. Parents can discuss and make plans about children’s future development with their children based on the information from teachers.

The value of CND is that it raises students’ attention to their career during their high school years. The process of filling in the data and making records helps students integrate all kinds of information about self. Students are able to think about themselves based on the questions such as, “What kind of person am I? What do I want to do? What strengths and advantages do I have?” After launching the CND, relevant data are collected continuously whether students choose to accept advanced studies or enter the workplace. All the data on the CND will be useful to students either for self-understanding or writing resumes when students seek future employment. Most importantly, these activities help students develop meaningful goals and abilities to make plans for the future. Perhaps, these activities may help students better understand how to systematically approach to their goals. However, it takes effort for junior high school counselors to effectively implement the CND, including the system management and data completion. It may also take time to widely promote and effectively involve homeroom teacher and parents with this digital career counseling system.

Government Career Development in Taiwan by Hsiu-Lan Shelley Tien

Taiwan, the so-called Formosa, is a beautiful small island in southeastern Asia. With very limited natural resources, there is great focus on human resources especially human intelligence and interpersonal communication services. Career counseling is very important for individuals to develop their potential. Support for career services comes from the university, community, and non-profit organization, and the government. The Ministration of Education, Youth Commission (currently named as Youth Development Administration in Ministration of Education), and Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training (BEVT) are three main organizations in charge of career services for adolescent and adults in Taiwan. Youth Development Administration The Youth Development Administration emphasizes on enhancing adolescents’ international competitiveness. This global viewpoint links different international subjects to formal education system and promote students’ multi-experiential learning. The Youth Mobility Scheme (YMS is a program that allows young people to experience United Kingdom life. This program provides Taiwanese youths opportunities to visit the United Kingdom to experience local life, enhance their English capabilities, and promote exchanges for a deeper understanding between the citizens of both nations. This program will provide 1,000 opportunities annually for Taiwanese youths aged 18 – 30 to obtain short-term multiple entry visas via the YMS program for the purpose of full-time work, part-time work, volunteering, language studies, etc. Candidates may reside in the United Kingdom for up to two years. According to UK immigration laws, certificates of sponsorship issued by sponsor organizations are mandatory when applying for various types of residential visas. One must possess a certificate of sponsorship (compulsory document) when applying for an YMS visa. The Youth Development Administration goals also include: (1) Promoting career counseling for youth and enhance their employability; (2) Encouraging young people to participate in volunteer services and their involvement in public affairs; and (3) reinforcing diverse learning for the youth and (4) expanding and enhancing their international perspective. Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training (BEVT) is another government organization working on youth and adults vocational development. Vocational training and employment services are the two major focuses. For vocational training, there are 7 affiliated vocational training centers providing training services of mechanism, electrical engineering, cultural creativity, tourism and leisure, mode making, air conditioning, informational services, computer editing, industrial electronics, and so on. They build upon the cooperation with businesses to carry out joint programs. For employment services, they scrutinize qualifications and issue certificates to employment service professionals and training instructors. They provide services to physically and mentally disabled, including vocational training, skills certification, employment services, career counseling and guidance. The Ministration of Education provides career education for students. Different departments in Ministration of Education organize and set up regulations for school systems to provide career education and career development for students at different levels of educational. They cooperate with professionals in different areas to promote career adolescent and adult career development. For more information, go to web site: