Bringing Tech Talent Home

"The children of Taiwanese emigrants are very important to Taiwan. Unlike their parents' generation, they don't identify strongly with Taiwan, nor know as much about it. So we were surprised that the first year of the Taiwan Tech Trek met with such a positive response," says Joseph Yang, director of the Science and Technology Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in San Francisco. Second-generation immigrants aged 18-30 who have relatives in Taiwan, are eligible for eight-week internships at government institutions such as Academia Sinica, the National Applied Research Laboratories, and the Department of Health, which are individually responsible for selecting from among applicants.

The Taiwan Tech Trek program is open to young people of Chinese ancestry from all over the world. As might be expected, applicants from English-speaking countries predominate. Last year, 250 people applied, and 183 came to Taiwan for internships. This year, the number of applicants rocketed to 1,920, with 332 accepted. Of the 285 who actually traveled to Taiwan, 240 were from the US or Canada.

The idea behind the program was good, but when it was run for the first time last year it met with public opposition. Objections were raised to the first week of training being held in a five-star hotel, and to the NT$35,000 allowance for living expenses given to interns, even if they were living with relatives.

Yang explains that this allowance covering housing and living expenses was the equivalent of what students earn working part-time during the summer to earn money for tuition. As for interns' plane tickets, these were paid for by interns' families.

"Taiwanese parents spend huge amounts on their children's education. These interns will be in high demand on both sides of the Pacific, so we should eagerly welcome these young people. If the government can handle it, we should take as many people as can come," says Yang.

"As an example of how much a college education costs, one year at the private Stanford University is about US$60,000--which means a total of US$200,000 to complete a bachelor's degree. The government is spending a pittance to cultivate a sense of identity with Taiwan among these outstanding second-generation immigrants by bringing them here. Doing this is even more valuable because Taiwan has so little opportunity to make its voice heard in the international community through diplomacy. These young people can be the seeds for cultivating support for Taiwan abroad. The potential benefits are enormous, so this investment is extremely cost-effective," says Yang.

In fact, travel in Asia became popular among second-generation Chinese immigrants living around Silicon Valley some time ago. Besides searching for their roots, many people embarked on such trips to seek career opportunities for themselves.

David Hong is president of the Asian American Chapter (MJAA) of Monte Jade Science and Technology Association, an organization formed by young people of Chinese descent. When Hong was 13, he was sent from Taiwan by his parents to live with relatives in Los Angeles and study at a US school. With an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a graduate degree in the same field from Cornell, Hong worked in several startups as an engineer, and then obtained an MBA from Berkeley while he continued working.

Hong, with bright prospects at age 37, says that quite a few of his friends are increasingly interested in the Greater China economy. He cites the example of MJAA's previous president and executive vice president, who are now working in Shanghai.

For the past 12 years, MJAA has held Asian workshops in Taiwan one year and in China the next, with 20-30 people participating each year. Hong says the enthusiasm on both sides of the Taiwan Strait is palpable. For example, this spring after the entire delegation toured the company Baidu, developer of a popular Internet search engine, and Microsoft Research Asia, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office held a party for everyone at the Beijing Diaoyutai Hotel, welcoming all to "return and work for the motherland."

Although the appeal of the Chinese market's potential is strong, Hong is going somewhat against the trend, deciding instead to return to Taiwan to find work. His reason is that "at this stage, my parents and relatives are the most important considerations."

Whether for advanced study or internships, Kaiser Yang, a senior engineer at Microsoft in Seattle, suggests that the Taiwan Tech Trek's internships should be expanded to include positions at private-sector companies. He uses Microsoft's internship program to illustrate, pointing out that the departments to which interns apply must fulfill three conditions. The first is that the department must have "very cool projects that get people excited." Secondly, the department must have someone willing to serve as a mentor, providing guidance to the intern. Finally, the department must need to make hires over the next two years. Only if all these conditions are met can applications for internships, which average 12 weeks in length, be accepted. Interns who perform well may be hired eventually. Such a program represents a proactive, long-term approach to ensuring the availability of talent.