The Ministry of Education''s annual "Vocational Skills Competition" will start Tuesday. The Ministry of Education held a press conference and invited the previous winners of the competition to perform. Minister of Education Pan Wen-chung said that a total of 2,744 vocational high-school students have signed up for the competition this year. The winners and runner-ups in each category will receive subsidies to study abroad, and will also secure a spot in a technical college.
The students pull the sugar carefully, transforming it into the shape of a chef. Students must wear insulated gloves, as the candy sometimes reaches temperatures as high as 60 degrees Celsius. These two students are from the National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism. They were invited to announce the opening of this year’s competition.
Chen Wei-hsiang
National Kaohsiung University of Hospitality and Tourism
I was the winner of the National Skills Competition in the 2016 academic year. Whenever I a finish product, I don''t feel tired – I feel very much fulfilled.
I am very happy when I see my own work.
Pan Wen-chung
Minister of Education
We added "piping" as a new category. In addition to some new projects, the number of students who have registered has increased. In the past, it was mainly students from national and public schools who participated. This year, many private school students have signed up as well.
In order to improve technical and vocational educational programs, the Ministry of Education has worked with schools to strengthen their curriculum. It’s also encouraged students to participate in technical and vocational competitions in Taiwan and abroad. Starting in 2015, the Ministry of Education began sponsoring the winners of each of the five competition categories to go overseas and gain experience at companies in their field. In 2019, the MOE also began sponsoring the second-place finishers. However, due to the pandemic this year, the ministry will postpone travel plans to winter and summer 2021.
Pan Wen-chung
Minister of Education
Since the 2019 academic year, we have allowed the first and second place winners to study overseas. The number of students has increased from 65 to 130
These students not only get the chance to study abroad, but can also secure a spot in a technical college. A total of 2,744 vocational high-school students have signed up for the annual vocational skills competition to be held from Nov. 3.
