To assist unemployed individuals and those in between jobs in enhancing their
abilities and skills, the Chiayi County Government collaborated with the National
Chung Cheng University (CCU) Center for Innovative Research on Aging Society
(CIRAS) to launch an electrical and plumbing training program this summer,
comprising of 330 hours of training. An achievement exhibition was held on
September 7th to showcase the students' accomplishments in this course. Throughout
the training program, participants initially received training in electrical and
plumbing, gradually expanding into interdisciplinary learning. Despite starting with
limited knowledge and experience, the students progressed to become proficient and
adept in technical aspects. As of today, they continue to perceive the training courses
as fulfilling and rewarding, having gained many valuable skills.
According to CIRAS, Huang, the sole female participant in the course, demonstrated
equal proficiency to her male counterparts in technical tasks such as water pipe
installation or industrial wiring. In addition to over 20 years of experience in a human
resources department, Huang has also devoted her time to volunteer work, offering
support to seniors living alone. Throughout her involvement in social services, she
became aware of the need to resolve issues related to electrical and plumbing matters.
Huang expressed that witnessing the smiles on the faces of the elderly after resolving
their daily challenges made her realize the importance of acquiring the skills to
provide warm assistance to seniors. Driven by this initial motivation, she diligently
practiced throughout the course, overcoming both physical limitations and gender
stereotypes.
Huang stated that she had been laid off by her previous company, which had been
struggling with poor business performance. Nevertheless, driven by her plan to reenter the workforce and her keen interest in electrical and plumbing, she decided to
participate in the training program upon the recommendation of an employment
service center. She also noted a growing demand for Bed and Breakfast and Hostel
accommodations, as well as house renovation services in Penghu. Additionally, many
operations at Penghu's water treatment plant are outsourced, creating a need for labor
and workers. With these considerations in mind, Huang aspires to return to her
hometown, Penghu, after acquiring professional skills and techniques, hoping to
contribute and give back to her community.
In addition to a significant number of middle-aged and senior students, there are also
young individuals who participated in the training program. This not only created
opportunities for both the youth and seniors to collaborate, share, and exchange
experiences, but also enabled them to grow together as they prepare for the Class C
Technician Certificate exams. One of the younger students, Chen, shared that after
graduating, he dedicated himself to working at a physically demanding tea factory.
Through this experience, he was trained to endure hardships and difficulties at a
young age while also managing the balance between work and family responsibilities.
Chen explained that his passion for the field of electrical engineering prompted him to
change his career path and participate in the training program. Upon completion, he
anticipates to pursue a career in electrical and plumbing, realizing his aspiration in the
field.
“The teaching staff is the fundamental cornerstone of vocational training," stated Dr.
Feng-Ming Hao, Director of CIRAS. While CCU boasts a wealth of academic faculty
and teaching resources, WuFeng University, located nearby, houses specialized
teaching staff for technical training. These two institutions collaborated, dedicating
efforts to nurturing young talent in Chiayi County. Dr. Hao also mentioned that
CIRAS will persist in developing additional career training courses in the future.
Those interested can join these courses to acquire cross-disciplinary skills in order to
gain a competitive advantage in their careers.