RDWC Vocational Training: AI & agriculture

In 2022, members of the Legislative Yuan's Social Welfare and Environmental Health Committee, Chiu Tai-yuan and Chang Yu-mei, along with senior officials including Wang Pi-sheng, Administrative Deputy Minister of Health and Welfare, and Hsu Ming-chun, Minister of Labor, visited the Rare Disease Welfare Center (RDWC). During the visit, Minister Hsu instructed relevant agencies to actively establish additional cooperative programs with RDWC to support patients with rare diseases, their families, and individuals with disabilities. These measures are designed to strengthen skills development and increase workforce participation opportunities.

This year, RDWC took the initiative to reach out to the Labor Development Agency and hoped to combine the characteristics of RDWC to organize courses, thereby facilitating the one-month “Practical Farm Gardening and Technology Application Class” from June 18th to July 24th. The course, centered on agronomy, integrated cutting-edge AI technology to enhance students' digital skills. Participants learned to utilize tools such as Google and ChatGPT to generate AI-powered characters, create product descriptions, and edit promotional videos—bolstering their proficiency in AI applications. The horticulture segment was led by Huang Xinhui, a dedicated instructor known for her patient teaching style. Covering a spectrum of topics from indoor potted plants to hands-on outdoor farming, the course aligned with RDWC’s mission of promoting food and farming education while reinforcing the concept of a "local kitchen."

A total of 13 trainees, including patients, family members of patients, and local residents, successfully completed the course. Through the vocational training course, they sparked new ideas about AI technology and agriculture.

Translator: David Lee (Becker Muscular Dystrophy)