Taiwan Students Who Complete Degrees on the Mainland See More Employment Opportunities

Anchor: According to information from the ongoing forum, some 20 thousand Taiwan students have come to the mainland for higher education.

As cross-Straits relations are getting closer, these students are seeing increasing opportunities for employment on the mainland.

CRI's reporter Tu Yun has more.

Reporter: Lin Wen-zheng, from Kaohsiung, Taiwan, is a Ph.D. candidate at Beijing-based China Agricultural University.
He says he's mostly concerned about finding a job, because he will graduate next year.

"It's not easy for Taiwan students to find a job on the mainland, because it involves a variety of problems such as social security and personal records. Nor would it be easy to find employment if we went back to Taiwan, because our diplomas obtained on the mainland wouldn't be recognized."

Currently, Taiwan does not recognize academic credentials from the mainland.

Although the island has said it would recognize the credentials of some leading mainland universities, it will only do so after the relevant regulations are revised.

But students from Taiwan have seen some positive signs in gaining more employment opportunities on the mainland.

In May, Fujian Province, which faces Taiwan across the straits, took the lead in providing favorable hiring policies for students from the island.

Those with master's or doctoral degrees from a mainland institution can apply for jobs in Fujian's state-owned institutions.

If offered positions, they are entitled to receive the same pay and benefits as those from the mainland.

Under the new policy, a hospital in Fujian has employed the first Taiwan medical student.

Lin Wen-zheng, who wants to find a job in Beijing, is quite excited about the news.

"It's a good move. With the policy, we may see more job opportunities. So I hope the scheme will be implemented not only in Fujian, but also in other provinces."

His hopes may be within reach.

Cao Jujing is deputy director of the Taiwan Affairs Office in Beijing. The capital city has the largest population of Taiwan students on the mainland.

"Currently, just a few Taiwan students work in Beijing. But we have made some breakthroughs. For example, because they are from Taiwan, these students do not have mainland identity cards or social and medical insurance. Through communication with employers, we have shown some flexibility in dealing with the problems. But we could only give a green light to some cases. To better solve the problem, we have carried out a study on a sound system that could allow more Taiwan students to work in Beijing."

Meanwhile, Taiwan students who receive a mainland education are becoming the main choices of Taiwan-funded enterprises.

Yang Kuo-Shih is President of the Taiwan Higher Education Society.

"Taiwan students are good at making innovations. The education they receive on the mainland will help them have a comprehensive understanding of the culture and environment there, so they can combine what they learn from the educational institutions in both Taiwan and on the mainland. Therefore, enterprises can raise their corporate competitiveness in making investment on the mainland."

Yang says given the mainland's recognition of university diplomas issued in Taiwan since 2006, he is optimistic that those obtained from mainland colleges will gradually be recognized on the island.

Tu Yun, CRI news.