Business Representatives Invited to Discuss Post-Pandemic Recruitment

COVID-19 has caused drastic changes in the global economy, driving a wave of impact on enterprise operations and talent development strategy. To make its future talent cultivation plan more relevant to the current employment context and help students cope with workplace changes, NTU organized the “Symposium on Post-Pandemic Talent Cultivation and Development” on June 18. Representatives from about 40 businesses were invited to the symposium to share their companies’ recruitment plans so that the university can keep abreast of industry needs and expectations for future hires under the impact of the pandemic. NTU also hoped to brainstorm cooperation plans for future talent development, working with businesses, to train key professionals with the input from the private sector.

Dr. Chung-Ming Kuan (管中閔), President of NTU, noted that the pandemic has brought changes to the workplace, as it limited the development of industries that require physical contact, severely damaging the domestic service industry. But, crisis is also opportunity. Industries that do not require physical contact, such as e-commerce, food delivery services, gaming, and online learning, have actually benefited from the current situation. Online services and communication channels were originally designed for companies to respond to the trend of globalization, and the pandemic will only accelerate this trend. President Kuan believes that the world is continuously evolving, and nothing stays unchanged. Therefore, students who intend to join the workforce must plan ahead to be able to respond to industry needs, seize the opportunity for self-improvement and learning while at school, and take advantage of this period to develop new skills that will come in handy, such as programming, coding, and big data analysis, to boost their employability.

A total of 10 college deans attended the symposium in person, each briefly introducing their college’s approach to talent development and what they hoped to achieve through industry collaborations. This symposium was joined by representatives from around 40 companies. The information technology industry was represented by TSMC, Foxconn, Lite-On, MediaTek, Delta Electronics, Applied Materials Taiwan, Texas Instruments, ASML, Quanta Computer, Acer, Micron Technology, AU Optronics, Pegatron, Realtek, Taiwan Mobile, and the Institute for Information Industry. The financial and insurance industry was represented by major holding companies in Taiwan, including E.SUN, Yuanta, Fubon, CTBC, and Cathay Financial Holdings. The pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry was represented by Pfizer and GSK. Other participants included Owlting, CloudMile, Willis Towers Watson, and Giant Bicycles.

After several lively discussions, the business representatives agreed that student internships in companies should be extended and preferably made compulsory in the curriculum, thereby helping students to find out what to anticipate in the workplace. Students were also urged to learn a second foreign language besides English, as well as develop the ability to stay updated with digital information, so as to cope with the challenges accompanying the age of AI and big data.

NTU’s Career Center stated that collaboration among the university, students, and businesses will serve the best interest of all. By partnering with enterprises in talent cultivation, the university can help create more internship and employment opportunities for students as well as match talents with companies. Not only does the Career Center serve as a bridge between students and employers, it also helps foster mutual trust and reciprocal relationships between the university and companies. For enterprises, partnering with the university in talent cultivation and recruitment not only enhances brand image and brand recognition, but also facilitates the hiring of key talents and boosts corporate competitiveness. For students, they can stay updated with employment trends, enhance their workplace competitiveness, and create more career options.

Staff from the Career Center explained that they had to adjust the ways they assist students in finding employment this year due to the impact of the pandemic. The Campus Recruitment Fair had to be replaced with an online campus recruitment section on the Career Center’s website as an alternative to help new graduates land their dream jobs. As of June 15, a total of 183 companies had joined the online recruitment section, with the number of clicks reaching over 156,000. In addition, the Career Center also actively assisted in matching recruiters with job seekers. As of June 15, it has assisted companies in posting 395 job ads and hosted several workshops on resume writing and interview skills, so as to enhance the students’ competitiveness and help them transition smoothly into the workplace.

This article is also featured in No. 79 of NTU Highlights (August 2020).