Capacity building remains a top priority for the Governments of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Saint Lucia as Saint Lucians continue to benefit from short-term training workshops in Taiwan.
This year, more than 30 Saint Lucian have gained essential experience in a wide range of specialized areas via training workshops in Taiwan, including nursing, warehouse logistics, waste management and carbon trading. Following their successful training stints in Taiwan, some of the participants have been sharing their experiences. All of them acknowledge that the training they received will have a meaningful impact in their respective fields of work.
Mrs. Sylli Maqueda Valcin, Community Health Aide in the Ministry of Health, Wellness and Elderly Affairs, participated in the Nursing Aide Training Course in October. She commended the facilitators for their high standard of teaching and also TaiwanICDF for making their stay comfortable.
“I must commend the TaiwanICDF staff for ensuring we got to all our sessions on time and for the tours that were planned as we indulged in the culture of Taiwan — whether it was the food we ate or otherwise — and for always ensuring our safety,” said Mrs. Valcin. She hopes to share the knowledge she gained during the workshop with her colleagues in Saint Lucia, especially topics such as “Evidence-based Practice”, and “Chronic Care Prevention Strategies”.
Mr. Twyii Auguste, Manager of EasyPak Shipping St. Lucia, participated in the training course on Warehouse Logistics. He said the month-long visit to Taiwan proved to be highly enlightening.
“Observing the successful implementation of similar ideas in Taiwan provided a substantial boost to my confidence, demonstrating that visualization and determination can make seemingly improbable concepts attainable.” Auguste says he intends to apply the insights and resources gained from his experience in Taiwan to leverage the benefits offered by CARICOM in the fields of logistics and commerce. He also plans to contribute value to local businesses by proposing solutions to address significant challenges within the logistics sector.
Meanwhile, Mr. Davis Poleon, Landfill Supervisor at the Saint Lucia Solid Waste Management Authority (SLSWMA), who participated in the workshop on Waste Management, described his experience in Taiwan as fascinating.
“Not only the sheer difference of being in a new country, but every single aspect of experiencing a totally different way of living,” he recalled. “There seems to be an unspoken order to everything and if you didn’t remain focused, you might just get frustrated with the process.”
Poleon said the workshop sessions were well planned with the speakers providing great insight into their various areas of expertise and ample time reserved for the Q&A sessions. He noted that the sessions that stood out for him were visits to Monster Biotech Co. Ltd., New Taipei City Smart Recycling Plant, Nan Ya Plastics and Solar Applied Materials Tech Corporation.
Finally, Mr. Matthew Branford, Accountant General, described the workshop in Taiwan as a life-changing experience. He said the course content was both educational and informative, as it covered trends in carbon credit systems, following the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism that will prevent carbon leakage and promote low-carbon industries. The workshop also intended on sharing Taiwan’s own policies for achieving net zero.
“The expected results were to examine carbon pricing mechanisms such as taxes, fees, and trading countries to develop relevant regulations and strategies,” said Branford. “The workshop did meet my expectation as we learned from other participants on the best practices to mitigate the impact of climate change, understand what is carbon footprint, effect of carbon emissions on our daily lives, and gain a greater understanding of carbon markets and carbon trading.”
Branford said field trips to the various companies which employ low carbon emission strategies really helped in understanding carbon reduction techniques.
By exposing more Saint Lucians to the training workshops in Taiwan, the hope is that the participants not only gain expert knowledge that can help them develop their skills, but also better understand Taiwanese history, culture and warm hospitality.
SOURCE: Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in Saint Lucia