Taiwan’s Pingtung county government has launched the “Long-term Care Talent Exchange Platform” on May 9th in order to cultivate care service professionals and assist young students in entering the long-term care service field. County Magistrate Zhou Chun-mi stated that in response to the country’s declining birth rate and rapidly aging population, there is a need to strengthen collaboration among the government, industry, and academia to create an elderly-friendly care community and enhance manpower in care services for a stable long-term care system.
Population aging and long-term care are universal challenges globally, as emphasized by Magistrate Zhou. The county government plays a crucial role in connecting five local universities and 390 long-term care contracted institutions, facilitating interdisciplinary cooperation among government, industry, and academia. Through internships, industry visits, industry lecturer arrangements, local job retention, and care quality improvement initiatives, efforts are made to boost students’ willingness to engage in long-term care services and encourage graduates to pursue careers in Pingtung.
Magistrate Zhou pointed out that Pingtung county currently has a senior population aged 65 and above exceeding 20%, entering a phase of a super-aged society. With the establishment of the Long-term Care Department in 2023, the county government is moving towards a more comprehensive direction for long-term care. Therefore, the nurturing of long-term care talents is deemed essential. Gratitude was expressed towards Pingtung University of Science and Technology, National Pingtung University, Darin University of Technology, Meiho University, and Tzu Hui College for being the cradle of talent, aspiring for long-term care to not only involve caring for the elderly but also to become a new industry highlight in Pingtung.
Director Chen Gui-min of the Long-term Care Department mentioned that the county government actively plans policies focusing on six major areas, including cultivating local talents, precise long-term care services, integrated social welfare care, combined medical-nursing care, innovative professional care, and public awareness promotion. In talent cultivation, the government acts as a mediator by providing long-term care internship venues for schools, inviting industry experts to lecture on practical care experiences, and promoting a cooperative model between academia and industry to nurture a new generation of long-term care professionals.