Workshop stressed investment in people

This article was written by June Tsai and published by the Taiwan Journal on September 6, 2007. It reports that according to participants of a recent workshop in Taipei, Taiwan's long-time investment in human resources is the proof that its government has been farsighted and its achievements are remarkable,

The workshop was organized by the Taiwan International Corporation and Development Fund, an organization established by the government to carry out international assistance projects. The workshop took place from August 22 to September 4. It gave an overview of the relationship between human resources and economic development in Taiwan. Sessions on HR management for different industries were also provided. About 24 government officials from 20 countries took part in the workshop.

According to Jakub Skiba, Director General of Poland's Chancellery of the Primer Minister, Taiwan has adopted a prudent strategy, focusing on developing its people, as a country with scarce natural resources.

"Human capital is your greatest resource, and how you developed it interests me, especially from the perspective of a government administration," said Skiba, who is responsible for Poland's HR-related policies. "I am interested in how the education here has been guided in such a progressive direction, creating opportunities for people to get the knowledge they need, which resulted in an innovative economy."

According to Skiba, Poland, rising from Communist rule, has finished privatizing its economy. The country is now facing other problems, particularly with rising numbers of educated young people moving overseas to work while there is a shortage of construction workers at home.

According to Skiba, the government is crucial in helping to upgrade the economy by focusing on cultivating quality human resources. In this regard, Taiwan has been doing well and can be considered as a great role model. Skiba is considering organizing a program for Poland's public servants and their Taiwanese counterparts to have more exchanges by visiting each other's country.

Meanwhile, Pamela Cadet, an official of St Lucia's Ministry of Public Services, is impressed with the amount of investment Taiwan has been allocating to improving human resources.

"I am also amazed at how you train people to contribute to the country in different fields," Cadet said, commenting on a visit to the Taipei Vocational Training Center. "We need to train people with the kind of skills we need," she stated, citing agricultural production as an example. According to Cadet, her government wishes for the country to diversify away from mainly producing bananas to growing more staple foods domestically, instead of relying on imports.

According to Cadet, St Lucia needs to develop a qualified workforce to reduce reliance on technical assistance from other countries, especially in the field of science. "We need to train people from their youth. People are not trained enough to teach in this field and give the younger generation a love of science," she said.

According to ICDF officials, Taiwan's advantages are in human resources, which have helped create its economic boom. HR will become even more important in the era of globalization. The workshop was designed to share Taiwan's development experience with other countries that value HR.

The workshop included sessions on cultivation of HR for small and medium-sized enterprises, HR management for the high-tech industry and for knowledge-based economies. Participants also visited sites such as the Taipei-based Civil Service Development Institute, the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Hsinchu and lotus farms in Guanyin Township, Taoyuan County.