On 26 August, Representative Kevin Magee attended the opening ceremony of an Australian vocational education training course being delivered to key Taiwanese representatives from the Taiwanese TVET sector. The course, the first of its kind to be taught by Australian education providers, will help Taiwan reform delivery of professional training in Taiwan’s TVET sector.
Excited to participate in the first ever Train the Trainer course for Taiwanese public servants– students, trainers and VIPs pose for a photo
Standing: Participants (students) of the program (Certificate IV in Training and Assessment)
Sitting (left to right) Ming-Hsin Yu, Deputy Director, Competency Standard Promotion Ad hoc Office, Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training, Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan; Martin Walsh, Senior Trade Commissioner, Australian Office; Kevin Magee, Representative, Australian Office; San-Quei Lin, Director General, Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training, Council of Labor Affairs, Executive Yuan; Anthony Tyrrel, International Project Director, TAFE Directors Australia; Serina Huang, Executive Deputy Director, Economic and Policy Section, Australian Office; and John Duffield, TAE program instructor, Kangan Institute
The three-week ‘Certificate IV, Training and Assessment’ program is being delivered by the Kangan Institute on behalf of TAFE Directors Australia (TDA). TDA has been engaged to provide training and consultancy to Taiwan’s Council of Labor Affairs through a contact the Council of Labor Affairs has with the Industrial Technology Research Institute, to assist in reform of Taiwan’s vocational education and training sector.
TDA is the peak body representing the 60 Government owned Technical and Further Education (TAFE) institutes in Australia. In conjunction with the Kangan Institute, one of TDA’s members, the Cert IV TAE is being delivered to four groups of 25 Taiwanese students from the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) sector in Taiwan. The students (100 in total) are drawn from the Government, education institutions, employer groups and industry.
As Taiwan moves to introduce competency based training and assessment (CBT&A) the Cert IV TAE training will provide an important platform to a group of well-trained change agents in key positions. Taiwan hopes that these 100 students will become the core group to assist with changing Taiwan’s CBT&A.
In his opening speech, Representative Magee said that the program was an important outcome of an MOU between the Australian Office and the Bureau of Employment and Vocational Training (BEVT). The vocational and educational training course would assist in improving global competitiveness for both Australia and Taiwan, and also set a precedent on which to advance further educational collaboration. Australia enjoyed a well-earned reputation as a global leader in competency-based training and assessment and looked forward to working with Taiwan in the field of vocational education and training, he concluded.