[Life] "Next Step Taiwan" Forum Focuses on Development Opportunities for Southeast Asian Youth in Taiwan; RtiTalk Multilingual Exchange Platform Becomes a Focus
bellala 央廣3h ago
The "Next Step Taiwan - Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, and Filipino Youth Career Forum," co-hosted by Radio Taiwan International (RTI), the Hai Hua Cultural and Educational Foundation, and Tatung University, was held this afternoon (26th) at the Tatung University Shangzhi Education Research Building. Despite heavy rain, nearly 60 students and recent graduates from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines currently in Taiwan registered to participate. The forum, through keynote speeches, career experience sharing, and real-time interaction on the AI multilingual platform "RtiTalk," explored the opportunities and challenges for foreign youth in employment, entrepreneurship, and development in Taiwan.
The forum was jointly inaugurated by Radio Taiwan International (RTI) Chairperson Lai Hsiu-ju and Tatung University President Ho Ming-kuo. Lai Hsiu-ju stated that in recent years, an increasing number of Southeast Asian youth have chosen to study in Taiwan. However, when facing graduation and career planning, they often encounter issues such as scattered information, language barriers, and unfamiliarity with regulations. RTI has long been deeply involved in multilingual services for Southeast Asia and hopes to leverage the "RtiTalk" platform, combining AI technology with public media resources, to make it easier for friends from different language backgrounds to access information, participate in discussions, and find suitable development paths. Lai Hsiu-ju also specifically encouraged students to "use AI, make friends with AI, but also be wary of AI deceiving you."
RTI Chairperson Lai Hsiu-ju delivered a speech introducing the RtiTalk platform.
Tatung University President Ho Ming-kuo remarked that international students have become an important force in Taiwan's higher education, and Tatung University has long been committed to promoting an internationalized campus. Ho Ming-kuo also expressed that the government should lower the threshold for foreign students to stay and work in Taiwan, giving them equal competitive opportunities and allowing businesses to recognize the potential and value of international talent.
The forum began with a keynote speech by Kuo Hsiu-min, Chairperson of the Hai Hua Cultural and Educational Foundation and Honorary Chairman of the Thai-Taiwan Business Association, titled "From Studying Abroad to Staying in Taiwan: Building Taiwan's International Talent Pool." Drawing on his experience accompanying many young people from Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and the Philippines as they studied and grew in Taiwan, Kuo Hsiu-min informed the audience about Taiwan's challenges with declining birth rates and the transformation of talent needs. He emphasized that international talents from Southeast Asia not only possess professional skills but also have cross-cultural communication advantages, and will play an important role in future exchanges between Taiwan and ASEAN. Kuo Hsiu-min also encouraged students to "never underestimate yourselves, and don't be afraid of challenges. Treat Taiwan as a place where dreams take flight," leveraging their advantage of "understanding Taiwan and also understanding Southeast Asia."
Hai Hua Cultural and Educational Foundation Chairperson Kuo Hsiu-min encouraged everyone to leverage their advantage of "understanding Taiwan and also understanding Southeast Asia."
Following this, Lin Shu-ju, consultant at the Center for Southeast Asian and South Asian Studies at National Chung Cheng University, analyzed the current Taiwanese job market and the development trends for Southeast Asian talent. She offered observations and suggestions on issues of concern to international students, such as work visas, residency systems, and employer demands. She encouraged everyone by mentioning the current "four major channels for staying in Taiwan," emphasizing that Taiwan is the best choice for Southeast Asian students, whether for study or work.
Lin Shu-ju, consultant at the Center for Southeast Asian and South Asian Studies at National Chung Cheng University, analyzed market trends for ASEAN talent in Taiwan.
During the experience-sharing session, speakers from Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonesia shared their experiences with employment and entrepreneurship in Taiwan. Vietnamese speaker Ivei Ruan and Thai translator Margie shared how they overcame language and cultural differences to gradually build their competitiveness in the workplace. Indonesian entrepreneur Jefferson Singgih and Thai tourism industry manager Cai Tianbao shared practical experiences of developing in Taiwan from the perspectives of entrepreneurship and cross-border business, encouraging young people to bravely explore more possibilities.
Vietnamese speaker Ivei Ruan (center) and Thai translator Margie (left) shared their job experiences.
Indonesian entrepreneur Jefferson Singgih (left) and Thai tourism industry manager Cai Tianbao (center) shared their entrepreneurial experiences.
During the forum, the RtiTalk platform was used for multiple rounds of live polls, inviting participants to vote on topics such as "Where do you most hope to develop after graduation?", "What is the biggest attraction of staying in Taiwan?", and "What are the main difficulties faced when developing in Taiwan?". According to the on-site statistics, staying and developing in Taiwan remains the choice for the vast majority of Southeast Asian students. Taiwan's salary and job opportunities are the main reasons attracting them to stay; however, insufficient networks and the need to improve Chinese language proficiency are common problems they face. Additionally, the forum allowed for simultaneous online and on-site Q&A sessions, using AI's cross-lingual capabilities to consolidate opinions and questions from users of different languages, which were then responded to by the speakers. Participating students expressed that the forum provided much firsthand information that is usually difficult to obtain, and through the sharing of experiences from senior students, they saw the diverse possibilities for developing in Taiwan.
This event was co-hosted by Radio Taiwan International (RTI), the Hai Hua Cultural and Educational Foundation, and Tatung University. Radio Taiwan International (RTI) stated that "Next Step Taiwan" is not only a career forum but also an important practice of the RtiTalk multilingual interactive platform. In the future, RTI will continue to use AI technology, multilingual services, and public media resources to create a more open and diverse information exchange space, enabling new immigrants, migrant workers, and international students to more easily access credible information, participate in public discussions, and find their own next step in Taiwan.
On-site Q&A and exchange were lively.
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=216981
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