National Taiwan University (NTU) hosted a successful appreciation banquet for the International Mentorship Program (IMP) at NTU, with the full support of the ECCT’s Low Carbon Initiative (LCI 歐洲商會-低碳倡議行動) and over 16 ECCT member companies. The event began with opening remarks by Professor Yuan Hsiao-wei, NTU OIA Vice President for International Affairs, and Giuseppe Izzo, ECCT Chairman. The event was well attended by over 130 dignitaries and guests.

The NTU International Mentorship Program, initiated in 2022, is a summer internship initiative for foreign students in Taiwan. It aims to alleviate language, cultural, and social barriers in the Taiwanese job market by providing mentorship from various organisations and top executives. In its first year, the program partnered with 70 institutions, offering nearly 170 internships to 60 students from 22 countries. To prepare students, career training workshops and enterprise visits were organised. Future plans include expanding these activities and providing career consulting services. Collaboration with industry associations and organisations is expected to bring more opportunities for students to connect with enterprises, fostering international talent development in Taiwan.

This summer internship programme is tailormade for international students. It provides crucial on-the-job experience to students to help prepare them for their professional careers and also involves hands-on mentorship of students by senior managers. By imparting some valuable lessons from the real world of business through these initiatives, European companies are helping to bridge the academia-real world gap and enable students to leverage their knowledge to develop practical and innovative business solutions and become assets to their organisations.

Representatives from the following ECCT members attended the banquet (in alphabetical order): Bureau Veritas Taiwan, Carrefour Taiwan, Covestro Taiwan, Crédit Agricole CIB Taiwan, ENERCON Taiwan Ltd., Gaius Automotive Inc., German Trade Office Taipei, Hitachi Energy Taiwan, Jane Goodall Institute Taiwan, Kuehne+Nagel Taiwan, Northland Power Taiwan, Signify Taiwan, STMicroelectronics, Tonglit Logistics Co.,Ltd., TÜV Rheinland Taiwan.