National Taiwan University (NTU) attracts thousands of international students each year. The NTU International Mentorship Program (IMP) that commenced in 2022 has paved the way for mentorships, internships, and careers for hundreds of foreign students in Taiwan. The award-winning program has doubled its partnered companies and organizations over the past three years.
NTU’s Vice President for International Affairs Yuan Hsiao-wei (袁孝維) spoke to representatives from partnered institutions, mentors, and interns at the program’s celebratory tea party this Wednesday. Yuan pointed out that the first year of the program matched nearly 60 students to intern at 40 institutions, and by the third year, a total of 180 students had been matched with 91 institutions, effectively tripling the original number of students.
Yuan noted that several international students have seen success and stayed in Taiwan through this program. One of their program participants, a junior studying economics at NTU named Kaho Komatsu, stated that it was unimaginable for her to find a job in Taiwan given that she didn’t speak any Mandarin Chinese before coming here. Through the program, she was able to find an internship and is now considering working in Taiwan.
The NTU IMP won the Nurturing Employability Award in 2022, the Power of Partnership Award in 2023, and has been nominated for two categories in the 2024 PIEoneer Awards. Yuan noted that such nominations and awards have affirmed the importance of their program, and made organizers feel that what they are doing is truly making a difference for international students.