Written by Hsu Tsu-Yueh. Image credit to NCKU News Center.

In response to the nation’s 2050 net-zero emissions policy and the growing demand for talent in the green transition, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) has taken on the Ministry of Environment (MOENV) Net-Zero Green-Collar Talent Development Program, bringing together 15 universities and colleges in southern Taiwan to establish the Southern Training Center. The center was officially unveiled on August 17th, the ceremony was attended by NCKU Executive Vice President Dr. Yung-Chun Lee, Minister of Environment Chi-Ming Peng, President Shuenn-Chin Chang of the National Environmental Research Academy (NERA), and Director-General Jen-Tse Hsu of the Tainan City Environmental Protection Bureau. During the ceremony, the Ministry of Environment and NCKU also signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen their collaboration. NCKU will continue to connect universities in southern Taiwan with resources from industry, government, academia, and research institutions. The center will offer basic courses in net-zero green-collar skills, as well as advanced courses in high-demand areas such as resource circulation and near-zero-carbon buildings. It will also provide diverse training programs, including university micro-credit courses, corporate training programs, and programs for government agency personnel. Through these efforts, the partners aim to develop green-collar talent to meet the nation’s needs for its net-zero transition.

Ministry of Environment (MOENV) Net-Zero Green-Collar Talent Development Program Southern Training Center Unveiling Ceremony on August 17th
(From the left: NCKU Innovation Headquarters Deputy Division Chief Pi-Cheng Chen, Director-General Jen-Tse Hsu of the Tainan City Environmental Protection Bureau, President Shuenn-Chin Chang of NERA, Minister of Environment Chi-Ming Peng, NCKU Executive Vice President Dr. Yung-Chun Lee, NCKU Innovation Headquarters Director-General Liang-Ming Whang, and NCKU Department of Architecture Distinguished Professor Tzu-Ping Lin)
 

The MOENV and NCKU signed a MOU, connecting universities in southern Taiwan with resources from industry, government, academia, and research institutions to offer basic courses in net-zero green-collar skills, as well as advanced courses in high-demand areas such as resource circulation and near-zero-carbon buildings.

NCKU Executive Vice President Dr. Yung-Chun Lee pointed out that the 2050 net-zero transition is an important national policy and a key goal for sustainable development, and that talent development is essential to successfully achieving the net-zero transition. NCKU is leading the Southern Training Center in cooperation with the NERA and universities and colleges in Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung. “Without the support of our 15 partner universities and colleges in southern Taiwan, NCKU could not have done this alone,” he said. So far, NCKU has trained more than 1,000 green-collar professionals and was also the first university in Taiwan to offer credit courses specializing in net-zero green-collar skills. The university has also developed training programs for businesses and government agencies and is planning Taiwan’s first wave of advanced courses on near-zero-carbon buildings. NCKU will continue to work with government agencies and partner universities to train net-zero green-collar talent that meets the needs of local industries, laying a strong foundation for the net-zero transition in southern Taiwan.

NCKU Executive Vice President Dr. Yung-Chun Lee

Minister of Environment Chi-Ming Peng expressed that climate change issues are changing rapidly. “No textbook can remain useful for 10 years,” he said. Relevant knowledge may need to be updated every one or two years due to changes in policies, regulations, and technology. This makes continuous learning essential. The MOENV has planned a 48-hour net-zero green-collar training program as a supplement to formal education. The courses are designed based on the needs of businesses to train green-collar professionals with the skills that businesses actually need. Peng also thanked the NERA for bringing together resources from universities and colleges to promote the net-zero green-collar talent development program. Peng noted that the MOENV worked with 104 Job Bank to analyze green-collar employment trends. The results show that demand for green-collar talent has grown significantly in recent years. The number of green-collar job openings has increased from about 7,000 per month more than 10 years ago to nearly 30,000 today. On average, about 4,300 companies recruit green-collar talent each month, showing that the net-zero transition has become an important trend for business development and that the demand for green-collar talent is also growing rapidly. Therefore, the MOENV will continue to promote green-collar talent development to help more young people and working professionals pursue careers in the green sector.
 

Minister of Environment Chi-Ming Peng

The MOENV promotes the Net-Zero Green-Collar Talent Development Program and established the Southern Training Center in cooperation with the NERA and NCKU. The center brings together 15 universities and colleges in Chiayi, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Pingtung to build a green-collar talent development network in southern Taiwan. Since 2025, multiple basic training courses have been offered, which are open to both university students and members of the public. More than 1,500 green-collar professionals have been trained so far.

In 2026, NCKU took the program a step further by introducing the basic courses into its regular curriculum. NCKU launched Taiwan’s first credit program specializing in net-zero green-collar skills, offering full academic credit for the training courses promoted by the MOENV. It gives students from different departments and year levels the opportunity to systematically learn about net-zero and sustainability. Students in the credit program also took a nationwide examination held by the MOENV. The pass rate reached 99%. In addition to students from the Department of Environmental Engineering, students from other backgrounds also achieved scores above 90, including Science and Engineering fields such as Mechanical Engineering, Systems and Naval Mechatronic Engineering, Civil Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering, and other academic fields such as Economics and International Master's Program in Interdisciplinary Sustainability Studies. Their performance shows the value of interdisciplinary learning in net-zero and sustainability education.
 

Delegation from the 15 southern universities which will work together to develop net-zero green-collar talent in southern Taiwan.
(From the left: NCKU Innovation Headquarters Director-General Liang-Ming Whang, NCKU Executive Vice President Dr. Yung-Chun Lee, Minister of Environment Chi-Ming Peng, President Shuenn-Chin Chang of NERA, Director-General Jen-Tse Hsu of the Tainan City Environmental Protection Bureau, and NCKU Department of Chemical Engineering Emeritus Professor Chuh-Yung Chen)

To build a more complete system for developing net-zero green-collar talent, in addition to basic courses and credit programs, NCKU has also worked with the Tainan City Government to offer corporate and government training programs. The courses are designed based on the actual needs of local businesses and government agencies, and businesses and government agencies select employees to take part in the training, with the goal to develop key staff with knowledge of net-zero transition. More than 300 business and government employees have completed the training so far. They then share what they have learned with their colleagues to help spread knowledge within their organizations. It also progressively strengthens the ability of businesses and government agencies to carry out the net-zero transition.

In addition, NCKU is developing advanced courses in key areas such as resource circulation and near-zero-carbon buildings in line with the nation’s 2050 net-zero transition policy, and will continue to expand its training programs based on industry needs. One of these programs focuses on near-zero-carbon buildings, led by Tzu-Ping Lin, a member of the Presidential Office’s National Climate Change Committee and a Distinguished Professor in NCKU’s Department of Architecture. The Architecture and Building Research Institute under the Ministry of the Interior is working with NCKU faculty from different fields to develop Taiwan’s first advanced training program on near-zero-carbon buildings. The program is scheduled to begin in September 2026. More than 200 people have already registered. The strong response shows the growing interest in near-zero-carbon buildings. In the future, NCKU will continue to bring together interdisciplinary faculty and teaching resources to train professionals needed for the net-zero transition in the building sector, supporting the government in promoting policies for near-zero-carbon buildings.