DESPITE FREE TUITION, JUNIOR COLLEGES STILL UNPOPULAR |讀五專免學費.保證就業 國中生意願低

Between 70% and 80% of graduates from five-year junior colleges in Taiwan choose to continue their education instead of entering the workforce. The Ministry of Education is planning to launch the "Fly High" initiative this August to provide full scholarships to students in the fourth and fifth years of junior college plus a stipend of NT$6,000 a month for a guaranteed employment position after graduation. This initiative aims to mitigate labor shortages in the agricultural and industrial sectors. A student at a five-year junior college in Kaohsiung defeated many professionals to win Taiwan's first national afternoon tea competition in 2015. However, as higher education has grown, only 13 junior colleges remain in Taiwan. The Ministry of Education will now launch the "Fly High" initiative, offering full scholarships for the last two years of a junior college education. ==SHANG SHIH-CHANG President, Chihlee Inst. of Technology== It's one more option, beyond entering higher education you could also enter the workforce. Particularly for parents with heavier financial burdens, it could be a major load off their backs. The Ministry of Education pointed out that less than 20,000 students a year enroll in five-year junior colleges, and that 70% to 80% of graduates prefer higher education to entering the workforce. In addition to offering scholarships, participants in the Fly High initiative will also be required to match students with companies facing labor shortages, which will offer guaranteed positions on graduation in addition to a NT$6,000 per month stipend to the students. However, junior high students seem mostly uninterested. ==JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT== I don't understand junior colleges very well, I don't know what you can do with a junior college education. ==JUNIOR HIGH STUDENT== It'll be impossible to find a good job in the future. The MOE says it wants to help students save up for their first NT$1 million, but how is that possible without job opportunities? Students say that low salaries in Taiwan discourage them from entering the workforce, but the Ministry of Education said that the sectors currently facing labor shortages offer starting salaries of NT$30,000 or above, as opposed to the NT$22,000 commonly seen in the past. It hopes that these prospects could attract more young people to this initiative. TRANSLATED BY：JOHN CHEN 目前台灣有七、八成的五專學生，畢業後，會選擇繼續升學。為了解決農林漁牧和工工領域的技術人才缺工現況，教育部推出「展翅高飛」計畫，八月起，加碼補助專四、專五生，學雜費全免，而且每個月可獲得業界提供的六千元生活助學金，並保證畢業後直接就業。 利用雲林出產的哈密瓜，烘焙出精緻糕點，前年台灣舉辦第一次的下午茶茶點大賽，擊敗業界等多位選手的，正是高雄餐旅大學的五專部學生。不過，在高教普及的年代，全台專科只剩13所，教育部為解決產業界人力缺工，推出「展翅高飛」計畫，學生除了現行的公私立 五專前三年，學費全免，未來專四、專五，也不必再繳學雜費。 ==致理科技大學校長 尚世昌== 可以多一個選擇 升學之外可以多一個就業的選擇 尤其經濟負擔比較重的家長們 可以瞬間解決他們經濟的壓力 教育部指出，目前全台的五專生，一年招生人數不到兩萬人，而五專畢業後，還有七、八成的學生，傾向繼續升學，展翅計畫不只要補助專四專五生、免繳學雜費，還會要求校方媒合缺工的業者，每月補助六千元生活助學金、並保證畢業後立即就業，但國中生似乎興趣缺缺。 ==國中生== 就是不太了解 然後不知道讀五專 （可以)走什麼路線 ==國中生== 未來不可能會找到比較好的工作 而且他(教育部)說一百萬(第一桶金) 你沒有工作機會 你哪來的一百萬 受訪學生認為，台灣普遍低薪，讓他們不想太早進入職場，還是會選擇升學，但教育部表示，目前缺工的產業，集中在農林漁牧和機械、工業，比起過去為人詬病的22K，這些媒合就業起薪在30K以上，還是希望吸引青年加入。 黃怡菁 陳柏諭 新北市報導