Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor organized an international workshop on strengthening digital health care skills on June 13th, in response to the country's recent promotion of "Digital Health Care" in APEC and the digital environment needs arising from COVID-19 in the health care sector. The workshop brought together experts from the Asia-Pacific region and the domestic health care industry to share best practices of enhancing digital health care skills through a combination of online and physical participation.
The agency stated that this workshop specially invited Mr. Zhao Li, the lead shepherd of APEC’s Human Resources Development Working Group (HRDWG), Ms. Lyka S. Caritativo, the representative of Coordinator of Capacity Building Network (CBN), and Ms. Amy Kardel, the American Co-Chair of CBN, along with representatives from the Office of Industrial Economics of the Thai Ministry of Industry, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority of the Philippines. They exchanged ideas with representatives from various domestic ministries, focusing on health care talent training and discussing the challenges and practices in the field of digital health care and medical services.
In his speech, Director-General Tsai Meng-liang of the Workforce Development Agency stated that since the agency initiated the APEC Skills Development Capacity Building Alliance (ASDCBA) in APEC in 2017, it has received extensive support from APEC member economies. The agency has conducted multiple training programs and collaborated with various economies to cultivate key talents in response to rapid industry development. In recent years, digital technology innovation has become a key driver of human resources development and participation in global economic activities. Under the impact and influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on medical services, the agency took the lead in proposing the " ASD-CBA Project: Promoting APEC Innovative Caregiving through Digital Upskilling" to APEC in 2020, which was supported and recognized by APEC funding. The agency also presented the second-phase program, " ASD-CBA Project: Empowering the Health Workforce through Digital Upskilling," the following year, inviting economies to share policy measures and success experiences through workshops.
The agency emphasized that this workshop integrates the achievements and best practices of the past few years' programs and focuses on the potential of information and communication technology in benefiting the health service industry. It aims to promote the enhancement of labor force skills in the Asia-Pacific region through collaboration and cooperation with various economies. In the future, the agency also hopes to continue promoting various programs on the APEC platform, deepen cooperation with APEC economies, and jointly face the challenges of the global labor market.