Conscripts applying for alternative military service now have more choices if they want to work in Taiwan’s science and technology sectors, including at much sought-after industry giants such as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and MediaTek, the Ministry of the Interior (MOI) said in a news release on Sunday.
The nation’s compulsory military service for men 18 years or older has since 2008 included alternative service in research and development (R&D) programs in science and technology fields in the public or private sector.
Since its commencement, more than 51,000 men have taken part in the program at more than 1,775 firms and agencies, which have produced 5,336 patents, 10,475 published papers, and science and technology research theses, the release said.
Photo: Reuters
These have resulted in more than NT$100 billion (US$3.07 billion) in production value for these industries, it said, adding that after their one-year service, more than 70 percent of the conscripts continued working at the same firm or agency.
A total of 424 companies, research institutes and government agencies has been approved for next year’s alternative military service.
Next year’s program would be focused on the government’s “Five Trusted Industry Sectors”: semiconductors, artificial intelligence, military, security and surveillance, and next-generation communications, it added.
R&D spots in aerospace, machinery, heavy industry, information technology, photonics and electronics industries would also be offered, it added.
Besides TSMC and MediaTek, conscripts could serve in companies like AUO, GlobalWafers, Aerospace Industrial Development Corp, Jong Shyn Shipbuilding, electrical engineering units at universities, or take up research work at Academia Sinica, the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology, Industrial Technology Research Institute or other government-affiliated research centers.
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