Taipei is rolling out free Hoklo (commonly known as Taiwanese) and Mandarin language classes for migrant workers employed in Taipei.
A new course introduced this year, the Mandarin course is aimed at helping migrant workers pass the basic Test of Chinese as a Foreign Language (TOCFL) administered by the Ministry of Education, Taipei Department of Labor Commissioner Kao Bao-hua (高寶華) said in a statement.
The course's goal is aligned with an initiative introduced this year by the Cabinet aimed in part at keeping migrant and foreign workers in Taiwan by helping them become qualified as mid-level technical workers and earn higher wages, Kao said.
If migrant workers can pass the TOCFL test, it would enable them to find better jobs and increase their chances of staying in Taiwan, Kao said.
Due to the limited openings for the classes, migrant workers who began their jobs in Taipei less than three years ago and are working their first job in Taiwan will have first priority for the classes, Kao said.
To be eligible for the speaking class, applicants will be asked to take a test and achieve a certain score, the organizers said.
But another Mandarin class that does not require applicants to pass a language proficiency test to be eligible is also available, they said.
Each course will be taught over 48 hours from June 10 to Sept. 17, with the classes tentatively set for 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.-5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and all courses will include six hours of "outside learning," they said.
The times of the classes are subject to change depending on the number of people who sign up, according to the organizers.
Liu Chia-hong (劉家鴻), director of the Taipei City Foreign and Disabled Labor Office, said the courses will also be offered virtually given that some live-in migrant workers may not be able to attend class in person.
Those who want to register can apply online by submitting a form (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1q8-cDoTA1jAh3GDwcMcsBfYg82etTtL5IxV8H_7bXIc/viewform?edit_requested=true) or calling the Taipei Language Institute at 02-236-6009 or 02-236-78228 ext. 816.
Registration for the classes will end on May 19.
