BASSETERRE, St. Kitts — The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced that the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) Academic Scholarships for those seeking to study at Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees in Taiwan are now open. Interested persons 18 years and older who possess high school diplomas or above, should fill the following forms and submit them to the Ministry of Education on or before March 1, 2021:

1. A completed application form (to be completed online at: http://web.icdf.org.tw/ICDF_TSP/WelcomeStart.aspx) printed and signed;
2. A copy of Passport Biodata page;
3. A copy of the highest-level diploma and academic transcripts. (Must be certified by the Ministry of Education and authenticated by the Taiwan Embassy);
4. Two Letters of Reference; and
5. Any other documents specifically requested by the Embassy of Taiwan Each applicant can only apply for one programme at a time and must submit a separate programme application to his/her chosen university.

Each applicant should visit individual programme websites, provide all enrolment application documents required by that university (print out and sign), and mail to that chosen university in Taiwan.

Enrolment applications should be received by the universities they choose before the deadlines set by those universities. Original application documents must be authenticated by the Human Resource Management Department. Also, a complete set of original and authenticated documents and an additional copy of the documents are required.

Applicants are asked to take note that incomplete documents and late applications will not be accepted and/or processed. Award of scholarship decisions is made by a joint committee in Taiwan. Should interested persons or applicants have any questions, they should contact the Embassy of Taiwan at 869-465-2421.

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CHARLESTOWN, Nevis — Hon. Mark Brantley, Premier of Nevis, Minister of Information Technology, and Minister of Gender Affairs in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA) is applauding the Division of Gender Affairs for hosting a free Web Design Training Workshop for men and women on Nevis.

Among the topics covered during the sessions are: Website analytics with Word Press; Woo Commerce and e-commerce options; Search Engine Optimization; Useful plug-ins and scripts; Online Resources; Gutenberg Blocks; Shopify; and Payment gateway Integration.

Hon. Brantley described the initiative, launched on January 9 as timely, noting the importance of web development skills.

“I think that the ability to create content is going to be very important,” said Brantley. “How we can create content, how we can create something that we put out there has value. That is very important, especially now in this environment of COVID, in this environment where many have lost jobs, in this environment where jobs are hard to find, because of course our economy was largely oriented towards tourism, which has largely come to a halt as a result.

“I think computer skills are critical because you can do so in the comfort of your home, in the privacy of your bedroom, on your own,” he said. “In a real way this initiative is timely because it comes at a time when a lot of our people can seek to develop the computer skills necessary to create revenue for themselves, to create opportunities for themselves.”

Brantley told the participants that the workshop also afforded them the opportunity to create employment.

“You might now be at the launching stage of creating your own job, creating your own small business, and but being able to offer your services to others who don’t have the capacity and don’t have the ability,” he said.

Brantley was heartened to see there was almost an even split between males and females among the 29 participants.

He assurred everyone that the NIA, through the Ministry of Social Development, will try to keep the initiative going past the initial end date.

“I think that we are developing some momentum here and we would want to keep that going forward,” said Brantley.

Ms. Lorraine Archibald, Coordinator of the Gender Affairs Division, noted that the workshop is an important initiative made possible through the Invisible Hand Foundation, facilitator Rodney Browne and the hardworking staff at the division.

Ms. Archibald underscored the importance of web design in modern business operations, adding that web developers are in high demand around the world.

“For many businesses a website matters more than anything when it comes to reaching out to customers online,” said Ms. Archibald. “In times like these, every business realizes the need for having a website. They are learning to design and develop the best site for taking their products or services online.

“Through our hard work and dedication, we continue to empower our people with knowledge and skills,” said Ms. Archibald. “Here on Nevis, we are expected to have many persons trained to be web developers as it is a great career of choice that can make you become rich over time.”

Ms. Archibald congratulated the staff for organizing the workshop. Assistance was provided by Training Officer, Mrs. Catherine Forbes; and Senior Gender Officer, Mrs. Shelly Jones Liburd.

Browne, the Chief Executive Officer of eCaribbean Ltd, has more than 20 years of experience in the design and digital industry.

Sessions will run each Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. until January 30.

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