TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said on Tuesday (July 4) the government will provide 10,000 scholarships over four years to international students who commit to remaining in Taiwan for work.

Tsai said the government wants to reduce the nationwide shortage of skilled workers, and hopes the scholarships will help Taiwan secure both “quality and quantity” when attracting international talent, per LTN. She also said that Taiwan has established six additional departments at Taiwan universities for education in semiconductor technology and other key industries.

Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung (潘文忠) said on Wednesday the policy had been developed via inter-ministerial cooperation to address Taiwan’s declining birthrate, and the needs of industry, per CNA. He said details of the policy are yet to be decided, but that it is expected the scholarships will be available from the beginning of 2024.

Pan said that retaining international talents after they have graduated from Taiwanese institutions is a key focus of the plan, and encouraged the business community to dedicate greater resources to international talent acquisition.