FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs):
1. What is the Training Network in Asia?
The Training Network in Asia is a start-up project between the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) and the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, Kaohsiung. The project aims to offer thematic training visits to promote collaboration between Taiwanese and Filipino academics, experts, businessmen and industry leaders.
2. What is MECO?
The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), a private organization, is the Philippine representative office in Taiwan tasked to promote economic and people-to-people exchanges between the Filipinos and Taiwanese. In relation, educational cooperation with Taiwanese educational institutions is one of the avenues being pursued by MECO.
3. What is the Edu-Connect?
The Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, Kaohsiung is a civil society organization based in Kaohsiung City aiming to facilitate educational, business and industry exchanges between Southern Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Its membership is composed of universities, emerging micro-, small-, and medium- enterprises (MSMEs), and several development organizations located in Southern Taiwan cities.
4. What are training visits?
Training visits are specialized and thematic itineraries crafted by the Edu-Connect for Philippine universities, businesses and industries interested to visit cities in Southern Taiwan for the purposes of networking and collaboration.
5. What are the available training visit topics?
At present, a total of 13 training visits are offered by the Training Network in Asia. You can find the list here.
Also, organizations interested to avail Edu-Connect's training visits are not only limited to the available themes. They may also request for a special training visit by specifying in the cover letter their target program or discipline.
6. Do we need to pay to avail training visits?
The Training Network in Asia is a start-up social development enterprise skilled in developing appropriate visiting programs for universities and agencies seeking innovation through ICUE development. As soon as a requested program is completed, the Edu-Connect issues an expense receipt containing the total cost of the training package requested. This expense receipt amount is inclusive of the following:
7. Why the Kindness Hotel?
The Kindness Hotel is one of the enduring partners of the Edu-Connect in its agenda to utilize educational cooperation and establishment of learning linkages to bring inclusive development to Southeast Asia. To support this endeavor, the Kindness Hotel offers specially discounted room rates for Filipino delegations visiting Kaohsiung for the purposes of academic collaboration with Southern Taiwanese counterparts:
Additionally, the Kindness Hotel also offers its Filipino visitors facilities and spaces such as the UP Guesthouse and the two fellowship centers named after the University of the Philippines (UP) System and the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC).
8. What is the UP Guesthouse?
The UP Guesthouse is a building located at the Kindness Hotel dedicated to accommodate leaders and heads of Filipino delegations visiting Kaohsiung City for the purposes of academic and business collaborations. Depending on the rooms' availability, heads or faculty accompanying Filipino delegations may be billeted at the single-person rooms of the UP Guesthouse for FREE to defray the total costs of their availed training visit.
9. What are the UP and PASUC Fellowship Centers?
The UP and PASUC Fellowship Centers are spaces opened by the Kindness Hotel in their lobby to serve as venues for meetings and networking events between Philippine universities and businesses aiming to engage their Southern Taiwanese counterparts.
10. What is the advantage of the Training Network in Asia compared to other available exchange programs?
Training visits offered by the MECO/Edu-Connect Training Network in Asia is not only focused in educational partnerships but also rooted in the Industry-City-University-Entrepreneurship (ICUE) development model which highlights the role of universities as new hubs of good governance through their conduct of University Social Responsibility. Organizations and parties availing training visits offered by the Training Network in Asia will not only interact with appropriate educational institutions -- they will also engage other sectors in Southern Taiwan with whom they may initiate partnerships for social development projects in the future such as but not limited to local government offices, village leaders, emerging MSMEs, prestigious research institutions, and civil society organizations.
The Training Network in Asia is a start-up project between the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) and the Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, Kaohsiung. The project aims to offer thematic training visits to promote collaboration between Taiwanese and Filipino academics, experts, businessmen and industry leaders.
2. What is MECO?
The Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO), a private organization, is the Philippine representative office in Taiwan tasked to promote economic and people-to-people exchanges between the Filipinos and Taiwanese. In relation, educational cooperation with Taiwanese educational institutions is one of the avenues being pursued by MECO.
3. What is the Edu-Connect?
The Edu-Connect Southeast Asia Association, Kaohsiung is a civil society organization based in Kaohsiung City aiming to facilitate educational, business and industry exchanges between Southern Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Its membership is composed of universities, emerging micro-, small-, and medium- enterprises (MSMEs), and several development organizations located in Southern Taiwan cities.
4. What are training visits?
Training visits are specialized and thematic itineraries crafted by the Edu-Connect for Philippine universities, businesses and industries interested to visit cities in Southern Taiwan for the purposes of networking and collaboration.
5. What are the available training visit topics?
At present, a total of 13 training visits are offered by the Training Network in Asia. You can find the list here.
Also, organizations interested to avail Edu-Connect's training visits are not only limited to the available themes. They may also request for a special training visit by specifying in the cover letter their target program or discipline.
6. Do we need to pay to avail training visits?
The Training Network in Asia is a start-up social development enterprise skilled in developing appropriate visiting programs for universities and agencies seeking innovation through ICUE development. As soon as a requested program is completed, the Edu-Connect issues an expense receipt containing the total cost of the training package requested. This expense receipt amount is inclusive of the following:
- Accommodation at the Kindness Hotel;
- Meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks);
- Local transportation (from airport arrival, to program itinerary, and to airport departure);
- City-wide tour of Kaohsiung, including entrance costs to selected establishments;
- Training kits and other useful published materials; and,
- Logistical and service fees for staff accompanying the delegation.
7. Why the Kindness Hotel?
The Kindness Hotel is one of the enduring partners of the Edu-Connect in its agenda to utilize educational cooperation and establishment of learning linkages to bring inclusive development to Southeast Asia. To support this endeavor, the Kindness Hotel offers specially discounted room rates for Filipino delegations visiting Kaohsiung for the purposes of academic collaboration with Southern Taiwanese counterparts:
- Single-person room (NT$ 2,000 per night)
- Two-person room (NT$ 2,500 per night)
- Three-person room (NT$ 3,000 per night)
- Four-person room (NT$ 3,500 per night)
- Free breakfast and dinner buffets;
- Free self-service laundry;
- Free use of bicycles for city strolling; and,
- Free consumption of snacks available at the lobby (coffee, cakes, ice cream, biscuits and other refreshments).
Additionally, the Kindness Hotel also offers its Filipino visitors facilities and spaces such as the UP Guesthouse and the two fellowship centers named after the University of the Philippines (UP) System and the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC).
8. What is the UP Guesthouse?
The UP Guesthouse is a building located at the Kindness Hotel dedicated to accommodate leaders and heads of Filipino delegations visiting Kaohsiung City for the purposes of academic and business collaborations. Depending on the rooms' availability, heads or faculty accompanying Filipino delegations may be billeted at the single-person rooms of the UP Guesthouse for FREE to defray the total costs of their availed training visit.
9. What are the UP and PASUC Fellowship Centers?
The UP and PASUC Fellowship Centers are spaces opened by the Kindness Hotel in their lobby to serve as venues for meetings and networking events between Philippine universities and businesses aiming to engage their Southern Taiwanese counterparts.
10. What is the advantage of the Training Network in Asia compared to other available exchange programs?
Training visits offered by the MECO/Edu-Connect Training Network in Asia is not only focused in educational partnerships but also rooted in the Industry-City-University-Entrepreneurship (ICUE) development model which highlights the role of universities as new hubs of good governance through their conduct of University Social Responsibility. Organizations and parties availing training visits offered by the Training Network in Asia will not only interact with appropriate educational institutions -- they will also engage other sectors in Southern Taiwan with whom they may initiate partnerships for social development projects in the future such as but not limited to local government offices, village leaders, emerging MSMEs, prestigious research institutions, and civil society organizations.