Taiwan hosts vocational training for young Pacific islanders

A group of young adults from six Pacific island countries are participating in a vocational training program in Taiwan to gain specialized skills, a government-funded agency said Tuesday.

The 30 participants, all from countries that are Taiwan's diplomatic allies, are receiving training in the areas of automobile maintenance, carpentry and electrical engineering, said Lee Pai-po deputy secretary-general of the Taipei-based International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF).

The programme, which started Sept. 4 and runs until Dec. 22, is aimed at cultivating seed instructors for vocational training in the participating Pacific island countries, namely Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu, the Marshall Islands and Solomon Islands, Lee said at a news briefing.

When the participants return to their home countries, they will be able to help train other young people in vocational skills, thus improving their job prospects, he said.

For example, they might be able to find work in neighboring countries such as Australia, and the nearby islands of Guam and Hawaii, Lee said.