THIS summer marks the highlight of cooperation in human capacity building between Taiwan and Saint Lucia. In July and August, a total of four vocational training classes have been organised by Taiwan for their diplomatic allies in the Caribbean. So far, 18 experienced Saint Lucians have started on 2 – 3 month training courses to enhance their expertise in Chinese cooking, tourism and hospitality, auto mechanics and electronic engineering.
In addition, 22 students have received scholarship from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and International Cooperation and Development Fund (Taiwan ICDF) this year. This marks a dramatic 50 percent increase from last year and showcases the excellent performance of Saint Lucia’s young minds. These students will be studying for bachelor, master or doctoral degrees in Taiwan, majoring in various fields including agriculture, disaster management, engineering, business and medicine, etc.
As short term training and long term scholarship programmes lay the foundation of educational advancement, conferences and high-level training classes also play an important role of bridging experts and professionals in private as well as public sectors of both countries. They also help build platforms of cooperation for scholars and officers from Taiwan, Saint Lucia and other countries. For example, The World Vegetable Center, WorldVeg, a world-class agricultural research facility located in Tainan, Taiwan, will be hosting the 38th International Vegetable Training Course. This year, Thaddeus Constantin, Acting Chief Agri-Enterprise Development Officer from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Co-operatives will also represent Saint Lucia at the Safe Vegetable Production Class in Thailand, joining a group of trainees from Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.
From July to October this year, a total of 42 Saint Lucian citizens, composed of students, technicians and officers, will have started their learning journey in Taiwan. This shows the commitment of Taiwan to conduct deeper and wider cooperation in human capacity building cooperation with Saint Lucia. Ambassador Douglas Shen said that the Embassy of the R.O.C. (Taiwan) will continue to find ways to satisfy local training and educational needs. He looks forward to more intensified cooperation with Saint Lucia in the area of human capacity building as well as the substantive connections, friendship and mutual understanding that are to be built along the way.
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