The Ministry of Education has staged the APEC Forum on Women and Youth Empowerment: Advancing Innovative Education and Enhancing Workforce Skills for a Sustainable and Inclusive Future Nov. 13-15 in Taipei City to promote educational cooperation and reenforce economic development in the Asia-Pacific region.
The three-day event brings together 90 young students from Taiwan and 16 other APEC member economies. Discussions center innovative education and the empowerment of women and youth to facilitate sustainable development and inclusive economic growth.
Liao Kao-hsien, director general of the MOE’s Department of Higher Education pointed out during remarks at the opening ceremony that receiving innovative education and acquiring vocational skills are vital to tackling future challenges in a world facing global economic transitions.
Keynotes from the first morning of the conference addressed similar topics to the director general’s speech: Sara Hubberstey, professor at Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology in the Canadian city of Ottawa, explored the issue of innovative education and the enhancement of labor skills, while Freya Wu from Taipei-based 886 Studios shared strategies to advance entrepreneurship through creative methods. In the afternoon, dialogues revolved around promoting regional development through innovative businesses, with a particular focus on case studies from the fields of artificial intelligence, the circular economy and green technology.
The second day will see professionals offer diverse perspectives on encouraging and expanding women’s impacts in the fields of engineering, mathematics, science and technology. Additionally, representatives from Chile, New Zealand and Peru are set to introduce new measures to empower youth and women in their respective countries.
Participants are scheduled to visit domestic nonprofit organizations, the MOE added. It is hoped that the forum provides opportunities for participants to establish transnational links that enable the planning and execution of collaborative projects to contribute to the region’s advancement. (POC-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw