Taozhumiao Branch held a vocational training results presentation conference in Jianshi Township. Trainees from the hometown demonstrated their Chinese cooking skills

The Taozhumiao Branch of the Workforce Development Department held a vocational training results presentation conference in Jianshi Township today. (Provided by Taozhumiao Branch)

Today there is a special exhibition of creative Chinese cuisine achievements in Jianshi Township, Hsinchu County. After 317 hours of vocational training jointly planned by the Taozhu Miao Branch of the Workforce Development Agency and others, 23 native students presented 16 handmade dishes and shared their learning results, allowing everyone to see their multiplied strength in every aspect from ingredient handling, knife skills, seasoning to cooking.

Lai Jiaren, director of Taozhumiao Branch, said that Jianshi is rich in tourism resources and has great demand for catering, accommodation and other services. By opening local classes, they can cultivate more catering talents who are familiar with the place and are willing to stay and work in their hometown, so that vocational training can be aligned with local development. This is their original intention of launching this vocational training. Therefore, they have hired professional teachers with practical experience, including the well-known teacher Aji, who has traveled thousands of miles to teach in the Jianshi Mountain area.

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Xiaoli, a 41-year-old trainee, used to work as a cleaner. She left the workplace due to a spinal injury to recuperate. Although she knew how to cook before joining the training, she was not familiar with professional knife skills, heat and seasoning. After training, she decided to challenge the Level C skill test for Chinese cooking (vegetarian food), hoping to start a new career as a primary school cook after obtaining the certificate.

Lai Jiaren said that this Chinese cuisine training allows Jianshi folks who are interested in working in catering to develop professional skills nearby and increase their future employment options. In fact, the Taozhumiao Branch has been promoting remote vocational training as mentioned above since 2019. A total of 14 classes have been opened, 198 people have participated in the training, and nearly 160 people have completed the training. These vocational training classes also provide a variety of courses such as mud bricklaying and B&B housekeeping according to local needs. In the future, they will continue to cooperate with local governments and local partners to understand local industry and manpower needs and plan training courses that meet local characteristics.

A trainee (wearing a chef's hat) showed the Chinese dishes he made to Taozhumiao Branch Director Lai Jiaren (wearing a dark vest), Jianshi Township Mayor Zeng Guoda (wearing a red shirt) and other visitors. (Provided by Taozhumiao Branch)