"Penghu Local Tour Guide Interpretation Training Course" opens, attracting TransAsia Airways employees

To enhance residents' professional skills and assist with employment, the Penghu County Government commissioned the Penghu County Tourism Interpretation Association, a social legal person, to organize the "Penghu Local Tour Guide Interpretation Training Course," helping unemployed residents or women re-entering the workforce learn scenic spot interpretation skills and the application of guiding techniques, so they can acquire a professional skill and find employment smoothly. The opening ceremony was held at 9:00 a.m. on April 17 of this year (2017) at the Labor Recreation Center, presided over by Penghu County Social Affairs Director Su Qichang and Tourism Interpretation Association Chairman Cai Hongbin, with 30 people admitted to the training.

Penghu County Social Affairs Director Su Qichang said in his speech at the opening ceremony that during the peak tourism season, Penghu County had more than 1 million tourists visit in 2016, and this year the county government's target has been raised to attract 1.2 million tourists to Penghu, with a large number of tour guide positions expected to be released in the future.

The Penghu County Tourism Interpretation Association, a social legal person, has been organizing the "Penghu Local Tour Guide Interpretation Training Course" for the eighth year now. Trainee evaluations have been quite good over the years, and its employment rate is also the highest among the vocational training courses offered by the county government. It is believed that as long as trainees are willing to study diligently during these 280 hours, under the association's integrated training-and-employment guidance, they will certainly find employment smoothly and work together with dedication for Penghu's tourism industry.

TransAsia Airways ceased operations at the end of last year (2016) due to financial problems, and this training course also attracted several unemployed TransAsia Airways employees to sign up, hoping to use the resource platform provided by the county government to build up employment capacity and seek career transition opportunities.

The organizer, the Social Affairs Department, stated that the training course has 280 hours of instruction, with approximately 2 months of classroom and practical training from April 17 to June 11. It is hoped that after training, all trainees can find employment as they wish according to their strengths, adding new momentum to the county's tourism services and job market.