According to the data released by a job bank, the number of job openings in Kaohsiung increased by 32.8% from 2021 to 2022, which is the strongest in Taiwan, and more and more hi-tech companies settled in Kaohsiung. In addition to talent familiarizing with high technologies, talent with foreign language skills enjoys more opportunities now. The semiconductor sector even actively holds job fairs at ISU to look for outstanding talent, giving students without science or engineering backgrounds chances.
Following the job fair held by TSMC to recruit students with foreign language skills, the College of Language Arts invited Vice President Yao-Yi Huang of the Taisil Branch of GlobalWafers Co., Ltd., the third largest silicon wafer manufacturer in the world, to share his experience in the semiconductor industry with students. Having worked for UMC and MEMC, Huang is in charge of global quality assurance, product integration, and environmental sustainability. He pointed out that the semiconductor industry is internationally deployed. Therefore, for students without a background in science or engineering but with foreign language skills, it is possible for them to increase their visibility among peers and earn an opportunity for promotion and a pay raise if they can take advantage of their foreign language skills and show the ability to communicate interdisciplinarily.
Huang added that handling overseas orders and businesses is one of the everyday tasks for a global company; therefore, international and interdisciplinary talent plays a critical role. He suggested that students take a minor or a second major in a foreign language or business administration or pursue further education about finance or business studies to prepare themselves in order to create an opportunity to enter the sales department, finance management department, HR department, or legal affairs department of well-developed companies in the semiconductor industry. Wen-Chun Wang, a senior student of the Department of Applied Japanese, said that she always planned to start her career in the semiconductor industry despite her major. Fortunately, ISU has actively looked for collaboration with the IT industry, providing students without a background in science or engineering with opportunities to expose themselves to interdisciplinary learning and extend their career choice.
In 2018, ISU initiated the ISU 2028 Project, requiring its ten colleges to incorporate the concept of 5G, AI, and IoT to promote interdisciplinary learning in every professional field. To make sure that the curriculum is helpful for students to enter popular industries in Taiwan and the world and meets the need for international talent, the required general education courses, “Unraveling the Mystery of Health” and “Secret Codes in Intelligent Technologies,” are offered to freshman students from different departments, which is an excellent opportunity for them to have interdisciplinary brainstorming in class or daily life. In addition, the AI Innovation Center established last year pools diverse resources, helping ISU students earn a place in the core IT industry right after graduation.
