Registration opens for Mandarin, Hokkien classes for Taipei migrant workers

Taipei, Aug. 5 (CNA) Migrant workers in Taipei can now sign up for free online Mandarin Chinese and Taiwanese Hokkien language courses, as online registration is now open until Aug. 12, according to the city's Department of Labor.

The online classes, which are completely free of charge, are aimed at helping migrant workers in Taipei integrate into society by improving their language skills for everyday use, the labor department said in a statement earlier this week.

The Mandarin Chinese course will be held four hours per week, over a period of 12 weeks, from Aug. 27 to Nov. 20, the department said. The time slots for the classes are 8:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

The Taiwanese Hokkien course, meanwhile, is scheduled for Sept. 3 to Nov. 6., comprising four hours of classes per week over the nine weeks. The times are 8:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. to 5:20 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Registration for the two courses is open until Aug. 12, the labor department said.

Most migrant workers in Taipei are private caregivers, who learn Mandarin or Taiwanese Hokkien on the job, but communication problems sometime arise because of the language barrier, according to Taipei Department of Labor Commissioner Chen Hsin-yu (陳信瑜).

The free language courses are being offered, therefore, to improve the workers' language skills and help them adapt to Taiwan society, she said.

Migrant workers in Taipei, who have been in Taiwan for at least three years, will be given priority, as there are a limited number of places in the programs, the labor department said.

Registration can be completed online or by calling the Taipei Language Institute at 02-23660098 or 02-23678228, Ext. 816, the department said.

There were 38,659 migrant workers in Taipei as of the end of June, according to Ministry of Labor data.