A Proposal to President Trump

To: President Donald Trump

Fm: Li-Chang Kuo (aka Peter Kuo)

Re: Proposal: Recommendations for Reforming the U.S. Vocational Education System 

Dare: November 27, 2024

(Chinese)

Dear President Donald Trump,

I hope this letter finds you well.

In this letter, I would like to present a proposal for reforming the vocational education system in the United States. This reform will not only have a positive impact on the competitiveness of the U.S. manufacturing industry but also help the younger generation, particularly those from low-income and single-parent households, change their destinies and provide a continuous source of economic growth and social stability for the United States.

I. Background and Problem Statement

The United States is currently facing severe economic competition and the decline of its manufacturing industry. One of the root causes of this issue is the neglect of vocational education. While higher education in the U.S. remains world-renowned, the transition from middle school to college, particularly in the vocational education sector, lacks strong support and training mechanisms. As a result, many young people fail to acquire practical skills early on and are unable to effectively meet the increasing labor demand and technological changes once they enter the workforce.

Moreover, the social structure and cultural attitudes toward education in the U.S. are markedly different. Many families place high expectations on their children's education but overlook the value of vocational training. This has led to many children from low-income and single-parent families being deprived of real educational opportunities and, consequently, being left behind socially and economically.

II. Core Proposal: Introducing Taiwan's Vocational Education Model

Base on my many years of training experience in Taiwan, the age of 13 to 19 is the golden age for learning skills; I believe that Taiwan's successful vocational education model can serve as a useful reference for the United States. Starting in the 1960s, Taiwan built a system that integrates practical skills with theoretical foundations, allowing many vocational education graduates to enter leading global high-tech manufacturing industries. This experience demonstrates that combining vocational education with hands-on practice, and providing stable educational resources and learning environments, can not only change the fate of young people but also bring long-term economic benefits to the country.

Therefore, I recommend that the U.S. government launch a reform plan targeting children from low-income and single-parent families, providing full financial support for them to pursue vocational education in Taiwan, and guiding them along a path similar to Taiwan's vocational training model. The specific recommendations as below:

III. Specific Recommendations:

1. Select Children from Low-Income and Single-Parent Families

The first step of this plan is to identify children from low-income families and single-parent households. These children often cannot access high-quality education due to their families' financial constraints. Therefore, a nationwide selection system should be established to select the most promising students based on family income, academic performance, and social background. These students will be enrolled in a dedicated program to receive government-funded vocational training.

2. Full Financial Support for Students After Completing Grade 9

These students will be offered full financial support by the U.S. government to pursue vocational education in Taiwan after completing their basic education. The funding will cover tuition, accommodation, living expenses, and other related costs. This funding plan will ensure that children from low-income families do not need to worry about tuition and can focus entirely on their studies while gaining valuable practical skills.

3. Focus on Skill Development, from Vocational School to Master's Degree

The program will span 10 years and consist of the following phases:

1) Vocational Education Phase (3-4 years): After completing basic education, the students will attend vocational schools or technical high schools in Taiwan, where they will learn practical skills and gain hands-on experience through company internships.

2) Higher Education Phase (4-6 years): After completing vocational education, these students will continue their studies at Taiwan’s universities or technical colleges to further develop their theoretical knowledge and enhance their professional skills, ultimately earning a master's degree in a technical field.

This approach will ensure that students not only learn theoretical knowledge but also gain real-world experience, creating well-rounded professionals.

4. Advantages of Taiwan’s Vocational Education System

Taiwan’s vocational education system emphasizes the integration of practical skills and theoretical foundations, and Taiwan is home to leading global manufacturing industries, particularly in fields such as semiconductors, electronics, and precision machinery. The hands-on learning and internship opportunities in these fields will expose students to cutting-edge technologies and help them develop critical problem-solving and innovation skills.

5. Rebuilding the U.S. Industry and Contributing to Society Upon Returning Home

Upon completion of their studies, these young people will return to the U.S. and apply the skills and knowledge they gained to the local manufacturing industry and other high-tech sectors, helping to rebuild America’s manufacturing supply chain. Not only will they help elevate the U.S.'s technological innovation, but they will also contribute to economic growth, becoming key drivers of the country’s development.

IV. Expected Outcomes

The reform plan is expected to achieve the following outcomes:

1. Enhance U.S. Manufacturing Competitiveness: By cultivating a highly skilled workforce, this will promote the upgrading and innovation of the manufacturing industry, increasing the U.S.'s competitiveness in the global market.

2. Reduce Poverty and Social Inequality: It will help children from low-income and single-parent families change their futures through vocational education and narrow the wealth gap.

3. Promote Social Stability and Economic Growth: By training a high-skilled workforce, unemployment will decrease, contributing to social and economic stability and providing long-term support for future economic growth.

4. Become a seed consultant: We once initiated the establishment of EI (Economic Institute) at APEC to assist small, medium and micro enterprises in their transformation and upgrading. These young people who have completed their studies will be able to become seed consultants to implement MAGA.

5. Strengthen U.S.-Taiwan Relations: It will deepen cooperation between the two countries in education, manufacturing, and technology, enhancing bilateral relations and promoting global economic stability.

V. Conclusion

Mr. President, your leadership and decision-making will have a profound impact on the future of the United States and the global economy. This vocational education reform plan will not only give America’s young people the opportunity to fulfill their dreams but also generate significant hope and long-term benefits for America’s economic growth, social stability, and global competitiveness. I am confident that through such reform, you will lead the United States back to a position of global economic leadership.

I look forward to discussing these recommendations with you and your team further and working together to promote this vital reform in the future. 

Sincerely Yours,

Li-Chang Kuo (aka Peter Kuo)
Founder of K-Horn Science Inc. (Social Enterprise)

Email: khorninc@gmail.com

Appendix:

During the President Reagan administration, scholars such as Michael Dertouzos from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Productivity Commission, Richard Lester, and Robert Solow (Nobel laureate) conducted in-depth studies on the underlying problems in American industry. Their conclusion was: "For a nation to become rich, its manufacturing sector must be strong." President Reagan adopted their ideas and swept away the shadows of the 1970s and made America great again.

Due to the White Terror in Taiwan, I had to start learning a trade at the age of 9 (1962) while living in poverty. Just a few days after I started junior high school, my father was maliciously arrested by the polices, and I had to drop out of school to start a business and support a family of nine. Fortunately, Minister of Economic Affairs K.T. Li established the Kaohsiung Export Processing Zone (KEPZ), and the technical skills I had—“Deep Drawing” to produce fine “Eyelets & Lugs”—happened to meet the needs of the American company Avnet Inc. in 1966. This not only helped me escape poverty but also enabled me to create Taiwan's Precision Industry.

The truth of 'the poor become rich through diligence, and the lowly become noble through education' is deeply ingrained in me. After working 18 hours a day, I still dedicated 3 hours each day to attending night school, starting from junior high, advancing to technical high school, college, and eventually earning a master's degree. Through this, I nurtured elite talents and became a pioneer in social enterprises of third sector.

This year, the APEC summit in Peru pointed out that of the 3.3 billion global workers, 2 billion are in non-regular (informal) employment, accounting for 61%. Actually, in 1986, we predicted that there would be a global unemployment problem in the future. We invented instrumental solutions in the hope of creating a large number of new jobs to prevent unemployment. Among them, we developed a “non-contact (contactless) semiconductor – TranSmart Chip" as a transaction tool for the e-commerce system. I spent many years in the United States to look for suppliers and try to cultivate them, but ultimately achieved little—no suppliers were developed. The Chip was eventually manufactured in France, and the Reading Device was produced in Germany.

I went to the United States in 1979 to assist client in developing satellite receiver, and spent four years rescuing Barbie Dolls. Through my research, I concluded that the decline in technical and vocational education in the U.S. played a major role. An American friend mentioned that if someone’s son pursued a degree in mechanical engineering or electronics, they would be looked down upon, while studying information technology or finance would not raise any eyebrows. After 30 years of educational neglect, it is evident that the U.S. education system has drifted away from addressing real-world needs, especially in fields such as mechanical engineering, manufacturing, and craftsmanship. In order to return to the advocacy of Michael Dertouzos, substantial educational reform is necessary.

In 2009, I was invited to the APEC CEO Summit in Singapore, where I stayed on the same floor as the U.S. delegation. They asked me to contribute ideas on how to rebuild the global economy. I proposed the "IIA-TES," which stands for “Invest in America for the economic stimulus.” Over a few days, I also shared with the U.S. representatives that their education system needed reform. Unfortunately, over the years, while countries like Haiti, the Philippines, and Vietnam have sent high school students to Taiwan to study, the U.S. has not. In Singapore, I also mentioned that President Reagan had once quoted Michael Dertouzos, but those influential individuals in Washington D.C. seemed to lose interest after returning to America. Democracy is only in power for four years—time passes quickly. For manufacturing to prosper, vocational education is absolutely essential, so long-term education reform policy is needed. At the same time, it requires the sacrifice of personal enjoyment, which still depends on the awakening of American parents—to allow their 16-year-old children to learn a trade. I believe that those who return home after acquiring such skills will be the future leaders in their communities and become the backbone of society.

I believe that for manufacturing to thrive, a robust technical and vocational education system is essential. Taiwan’s vocational education model can complement the deficiencies of the U.S. K-12 education system, helping children from impoverished families to succeed, while also contributing to common prosperity in America. This would help the U.S. once again become a land of golden nation.

About Li-Chang Kuo (aka Peter Kuo)

Peter Li-Chang Kuo, the author created Taiwan's Precision Industry in his early years. Peter was a representative of the APEC CEO Summit and an expert in the third sector. He advocated "anti-corruption (AC)/cashless/e-commerce (E-Com)/ICT/IPR/IIA-TES / Micro-Business (MB)…and etc." to win the international bills and regulations.

Education:

Master's degree from Tunghai University Graduate School of Administration (Third Sector).

Completed the MBA program at New York University.

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Southern Taiwan University of Science and Technology.

Department of Mechanical Engineering at the Senior Industrial Vocational School affiliated with National Cheng Kung University.

Biography & Experiences:

1953: Born in Tainan, Taiwan

1966: Founded Cheng-Kuang Metal Works

1972: Established three factories for PCB boards, ultra-fine wires, and yokes

1974: Founded Cheng-Kuang Precision Industrial Co., Ltd.

1979: Founded K-Horn Science Incubator to assist in the development of satellite receiver and cable television, and created Black Stone Co. in New York, contributing to the Reaganomics era in the 1980s

1984: Recreated the "Barbie Doll" to become the world's number one

1986: Assisted in the establishment of the social enterprise “SEL,” focusing on "innovative industries and solving unemployment"

1990: Developed a non-contact inductive (contactless) "RF Transmitter"

1997: Invented the "Power Chip Module" to initiate the RF Transmitter and create a universal cashless transaction system

1998: Based on "The eStore System" (TES), helped APEC propose and pass the "Steering the Electronic Commerce" initiative

1999: APEC's successful resolution to strongly urge promote E-Commerce

2001: APEC facilitated the initiation of the "ICT" and "IPR" legislation, launching the digital economy

2003: APEC promoted best practices, including the "Global Channel-TES" and "RFID, NFC" technologies

2006: APEC CEO Summit advocated for "Integrated Satellite Systems" to support commercial use

2007: Founded PCI in the United States to promote the importance of "Socially Responsible Investment (SRI)"

2009: Contributed to the APEC CEO Summit with the "IIA-TES" initiative to rebuild the global economy

2010: APEC CEO Summit reaffirmed the importance of "Incubator"

2014: Advocated for strengthening the third sector to achieve common prosperity in the information society

2016: APEC CEO Summit advisory expert contributing to the Lima Anti-Corruption Declaration and linking it to UNCAC

2018: Promoted “the eStore System" as a best practice for AI applications

2024: Advocated for the establishment of the "Social Responsibility Investment Fund" to implement formal economies

Publications:

1) Opening the Way for the Next Generation

2) Social Responsibility

3) W-shaped Society and others

4) An Economic Society of Righteousness

5) Analysis of Development of the Information Society in Taiwan’s Third Sector

6) Others

External Links:

https://patents.google.com/patent/US6304796 (VAM)

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20030197061 (Shopping System)

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20030107468 (Entry Security Device)

https://patents.google.com/patent/US20040054595A1 (ETC)

https://ldinventions.blogspot.com/2022/01/127.html  (A Universal Cashless System)

https://khornhb.blogspot.com/2023/10/1011.html (K-Horn Science Inc.)

https://khornhb.blogspot.com/2023/11/1110.html (K-Horn & APEC)

https://khornhb.blogspot.com/2023/12/1208.html (K-Horn’s SRI)

https://khornhb.blogspot.com/2024/01/105.html (K-Horn’s PCM)

https://khornhb.blogspot.com/2024/03/326.html (Tree's Whiskers)

https://klcapec.blogspot.com/2024/05/515.html (The Best Practice)

https://klcapec.blogspot.com/2024/06/609.html (Edison’s Inspiration)

https://lckstory.blogspot.com/2024/07/704.html (Apollo)

https://khornhb.blogspot.com/2024/07/721.html (Paving the Way for AI)

https://lckstory.blogspot.com/2024/08/818.html (Disney Intelligent System)

https://ksibusiness.blogspot.com/2024/10/1028.html (SRI & Global Channel-TES)

https://plckai.blogspot.com/2024/11/1103.html (On Ethics & Morality of the AI Era)

https://plckai.blogspot.com/2024/11/1110.html (On the Use and Abuse of Technology)

https://klcapec.blogspot.com/2024/11/1112.html (Peru APEC)

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