Vietnamese students will benefit from a special training program launched by the Taiwanese Ministry of Education (MOE), covering semiconductor and other industries, according to the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Ho Chi Minh City.

The International Industrial Talents Education Special Program (INTENSE Program), intended for talents coming to Taiwan for study and work after graduation, was recently announced by the MOE, Han Kuo Yao, general director of the TECO told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper.

The program, which focuses on the fields of semiconductor, STEM and finance, will first target students from Vietnam, Indonesia, and the Philippines starting from 2024, the TECO said on its website. 

Eligible candidates will be international students who have completed their second or third year at an overseas university or junior college graduates and bachelor’s degree holders.

Free Chinese language courses will be provided for prospective candidates in the overseas offices, and students should pass A2 level Chinese language proficiency (TOCFL A2) before enrolling in the training courses.

The Taiwanese government covers tuition fees and other administrative costs during the training period of two years, while participating companies provide each student with a living allowance of NT$10,000 (US$1,380) per month, and students will have an additional allowance during their internship.

Upon completion of the training, international students will work for participating companies for two years at minimum before they can choose to continue working in Taiwan or return to Vietnam, Han said. 

In its first year, the program is expected to recruit 6,000 students from Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines in two admission times: autumn (in September) and spring (in February). 

Representatives of Taiwanese universities will directly interview potential students in the three countries. 

To facilitate recruiting students for the program, the MOE subsidizes three universities to establish overseas consulting offices in these countries.

These offices will provide administrative and interview venue support, offer consultation services for students, and serve as a venue for future Mandarin language training courses for potential students.

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