Is the AI wave causing a rush to change careers to electricians? The Ministry of Labor offers vocational training; if you meet the requirements and attend classes, you can also receive money.

The rise of AI highlights the value of on-site technical skills. The Ministry of Labor provides vocational training courses in areas such as water and electricity as well as electromechanical engineering, helping workers develop a second specialty. Eligible unemployed individuals can also apply for a living allowance.

As the AI wave sweeps across every industry, many people have started to worry that office jobs, clerical work, customer service, design, marketing, and even some engineering roles may be replaced by automation tools in the future. As a result, technical jobs that require on-site hands-on experience, maintenance, installation, and certification thresholds are once again becoming a popular choice for career transitions—especially “water and electricity,” which has become a hot topic among many people.

In recent years, the Workforce Development Agency under the Ministry of Labor has continued to help unemployed people, job seekers, and employed workers develop second specialties through systems such as “pre-employment training,” “on-the-job training,” and “vocational training living allowances.” From Taiwan’s Employment Service Vocational Training Integration website, it can be seen that the course categories include pre-employment training, on-the-job training, youth special classes, the Industry New Vanguard program, and industry talent investment plans, among others. The public can search for courses based on region, job category, course start date, and keywords.

Why are water and electricity becoming popular? The stronger AI gets, the more it highlights the value of “on-site skills”

Compared with jobs that are easily automated by software, technical roles such as water and electricity, indoor wiring, electromechanical maintenance, refrigeration and air conditioning, fire safety equipment, and piping still rely heavily on on-site judgment, the operation of hand tools, construction experience, and safety regulations. These jobs are not only about “knowing how to do it,” but also about being able to handle wiring, pipelines, equipment, materials, and unexpected situations in real on-site settings.

In the Ministry of Labor’s vocational training courses, training related to water and electricity is no longer limited to traditional repairs—it has also expanded to smart networking, electrician controls, low-voltage industrial controls, and equipment renovation/finishing. For example, the “Smart Networking Water and Electricity Technology Engineering Class” announced by the Central Taiwan Branch of the Workforce Development Agency includes course objectives covering an overview of electrical work, electrician work methods, reading and drawing electrical diagrams, recognizing indoor water supply plumbing fixtures and materials, recognizing fire safety equipment, low-voltage industrial control, as well as basic hands-on practice in electrical work, electrical control practice, and basic hands-on practice in water supply piping, among others.

Unemployed individuals can enroll in pre-employment training, and water and electricity courses are also on the recruitment list

The Ministry of Labor’s pre-employment training mainly helps unemployed or job-seeking individuals develop employment skills. According to the search results on Taiwan’s Employment Service pre-employment training website, water and electricity-related courses include different types such as the “Home Water and Electricity Repair All-Rounder Class,” the “Automation Wiring and Water and Electricity Equipment Renovation Class,” and “Water and Electricity,” among others. Courses are opened for registration in phases depending on the training provider, region, and term.

For example, taking the Workforce Development Agency’s Northern Base, Keelung, Yilan, Hualien, Kinmen, and Matsu Branch as an example, the official self-run training section lists a “Water and Electricity (Yilan)” course and marks the registration and training periods. In the same section, people can also see hands-on courses such as electromechanical maintenance, elevator installation/renovation, and interior renovation design.

Another example is the “Water and Electricity (Wugu)” course. The course description states that this class is planned to train in the electrical trades related to the livelihood industry. Its goal is to help unemployed individuals and young people improve their employability skills after training or create opportunities for career changes.

Eligible individuals can apply for vocational training living allowances

For unemployed individuals, the biggest pressure when switching careers is often not “whether I want to learn,” but “what I should do if I have no income during the training period.” The Ministry of Labor also has a vocational training living allowance system. Eligible applicants can apply for a living allowance during the period of full-time vocational training.

According to explanations from government portals and the Ministry of Labor, employment insurance insured persons who meet conditions such as involuntary termination, registering for job-seeking with public employment service agencies, and being arranged to participate in full-time vocational training can apply for employment insurance vocational training living allowances. The payment standard is 60% of the average monthly insured salary calculated over the 6 months before resignation, paid on a monthly basis during the training period.

The Workforce Development Agency’s Taoyuan–Hsinchu–Miaoli–Hualien Branch also states that the recipients of the pre-employment training living allowance subsidy include employment insurance insured persons who are involuntarily terminated, as well as unemployed people with specific subject identities. For the former group, they must register for job seeking with a public employment service agency and be arranged to participate in full-time vocational training.

Employed workers can also develop a second specialty using weekend or evening courses

If you are not unemployed but are an employed worker who wants to learn a second skill after work or on weekends, you can also search for the Ministry of Labor’s on-the-job training resources. The Ministry of Labor’s on-the-job training website offers a variety of courses, including industry talent investment programs, self-organized on-the-job training by branches, the “Charging and Takeoff” plan, and more.

For example, based on the search results on the on-the-job training website, courses related to water and electricity wiring technicians can also be found, such as “Indoor Wiring (Weekend Class).” These courses typically have part of the training fee covered by the government, while participants pay part of the cost themselves. They are suitable for people who want to develop hands-on skills beyond their current job.

The Ministry of Labor’s vocational training stories have also featured cases where students used their weekends to take on-the-job training courses such as water pipe plumbing installation, indoor wiring, and refrigeration and air conditioning, and then obtained certifications in forklift operation, water pipe plumbing installation, indoor wiring, and electrical equipment inspection. They further applied these skills to equipment maintenance and engineering procurement at their companies.

Not just water and electricity: the Ministry of Labor also promotes AI, full-stack programming, and cross-platform APP courses

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Labor’s training focus is not simply encouraging everyone to “escape” traditional technical jobs for the technology sector, but to provide both digital transformation and hands-on technical implementation paths. In the vocational training course search results, courses such as AI application planning, smart generation of full-stack programs, and practical integration of cross-platform APPs can be found. In other words, people can choose to “learn AI,” “use AI,” or shift toward on-site skills that are less likely to be replaced by AI.

For office workers who are afraid of being eliminated by AI, the key is not necessarily to completely leave their original industry, but to add transferable skills early. Because fields such as water and electricity, electromechanical engineering, wiring, and equipment maintenance have on-site characteristics, certification requirements, and hands-on thresholds, in the AI era they are actually more like a form of “anti-automation” career insurance.

Registration and inquiry links

Members of the public can check courses, registration methods, and subsidy eligibility through the official platforms below:

• Taiwan Employment Service homepage: for employment services, job openings, and related programs.

• Vocational Training Integration website: for pre-employment training, on-the-job training, youth special classes, Industry New Vanguard programs, and other courses.

• Pre-employment training website: for pre-employment training courses and registration information.

• Vocational training course search page: you can use keywords such as “water and electricity,” “indoor wiring,” and “AI” to search for courses.

• Vocational training living allowance application guidelines: for eligibility information for involuntary termination recipients and unemployed people with specific subject identities.

• This article is reprinted with permission from: 《Chain News》

• Original title: 《AI Wave Goes Wild Turning to Career Switch to Water-Electricity Workers! Ministry of Labor Promotes Vocational Training—Eligible Participants Can Still Get Paid While Attending》

• Original author: Neo