As global manufacturing accelerates toward intelligentization and higher-end capabilities, Taiwan's precision machinery industry is facing a critical talent challenge. On 3/18 (Tuesday), National Formosa University partnered with Victor Taichung Machinery Works Co., Ltd. and the Central Taiwan Branch of the Workforce Development Agency, Ministry of Labor, to establish a strategic alliance together with 18 technical and vocational schools nationwide. The agreement was signed by NFU President Chang Hsin-Liang, Victor Taichung Machinery Chairman Huang Ming-Ho, and Central Taiwan Branch Director Liu Hsiu-Chen, along with representatives from each participating school, aiming to rebuild industrial resilience through education and jointly promote the cultivation of technical talent in precision machining and smart manufacturing.
NFU has partnered with Victor Taichung Machinery since 2022, and the following year held the first "Victor Taichung Machinery Cup CNC Multi-Axis Machine Skills Competition," using the multi-axis machine skills competition as a training-through-competition method to cultivate students' practical abilities. As industry demand for high-level technical talent continues to rise, this alliance uses NFU as its core hub, further joining forces with the Central Taiwan Branch of the Ministry of Labor and multiple technical and vocational schools equipped with multi-axis machine equipment, formally expanding cooperation from a "point" to a "network," linking 18 technical senior high schools and universities of science and technology from north to south across Taiwan, and building a complete vertically integrated ecosystem for technical and vocational talent.
NFU President Chang Hsin-Liang stated that with the rapid development of AI, some white-collar jobs may be impacted in the future, while professionals with practical technical skills will become even harder to replace, making the technical and vocational education system an increasingly important pillar supporting industrial development. He pointed out that, taking the machine tool industry as an example, companies may possess advanced equipment and manufacturing technology, but in practical application they commonly face the dilemma of "equipment in place, but talent hard to find." Technical and vocational education combined with industry resources remains essential to jointly cultivate talent skilled in key technical applications.
Victor Taichung Machinery Chairman Huang Ming-Ho stated that multi-axis machining has become an industry development trend, but talent cultivation has yet to keep pace. Victor Taichung Machinery has partnered with NFU and the Central Taiwan Branch since 2023to hold the multi-axis machine skills competition, which has now reached its fourth edition. This round of cooperation will run through 2028, with the competition to continue being held as an important platform for cultivating multi-axis machining technical talent. The Central Taiwan Branch will provide venue and training resource support, while Victor Taichung Machinery will continue investing in equipment, instructors, and employment opportunities to strengthen the industry-academia-training collaboration chain.
Central Taiwan Branch Director Liu Hsiu-Chen stated that amid rapid industrial change and the restructuring of global supply chains, government and academia must also stay closely attuned to industry development trends, continuously adjusting talent cultivation directions and adaptive capacity. Liu emphasized that in addition to professional technical skills, talent in this new era must also possess the right attitude, teamwork ability, and real-time adaptability, and that such cultivation efforts require joint investment from government, industry, and academia — none of which can be missing. Going forward, the Central Taiwan Branch will continue to invest in equipment and training resources, and promote the spread of multi-axis machining technology through resource sharing, enhancing the overall industry's technical capacity.
This alliance brings together 7 leading technical and vocational institutions, including National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Yunlin University of Science and Technology, and National Chin-Yi University of Technology, as well as technical senior high schools with strong hands-on capabilities from northern, central, and southern Taiwan, including 11 technical senior high schools such as Songshan Vocational High School, Taichung Industrial Senior High School, Xiushui Vocational High School, and Pingtung Vocational High School. The alliance's core goal is to address the strong demand from the smart machinery and precision machining industries for key technical talent in "CNC multi-axis machining," "precision manufacturing," and "systems integration." Through co-developed curricula and shared equipment, students will gain exposure to frontline industry technology while still in school, achieving a talent cultivation strategy of being "job-ready upon graduation."
The "2026Victor Taichung Machinery Cup CNC Multi-Axis Machine Skills Competition" will be held from 5/23 to 5/24 at the Central Taiwan Branch. The alliance hopes to continue using the competition mechanism to align technical and vocational education with industry needs, while also serving as a talent recruitment channel for the industry.
Article provided by: Office of Industry-Academia Cooperation and Services
