The son of an Indonesian immigrant was among dozens of top students who graduated recently from an automotive mechanics school in Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan.
James Chen Boxiang, whose Indonesian mother married a Taiwanese man, achieved top scores by getting two certificates for a Level B technician for automotive mechanics and two certificates for a Level C technician for motorcycle repairing, making him one of the top students among 213 graduates at Kao Ying Industrial Commercial Vocational High School this year.
Some 46 top students got two certificates this year to be a Level B technician for automotive mechanics, while most others only got one certificate in the same category, Unntv.tw, a news outlet in Kaohsiung, reported.
Chen had to make extra effort in his study as he was born in an underprivileged family with his mother working very hard to take care of the family and his father. When he studied at Kaohsiung Municipal Fu Cheng High School Chen opted for mechanical engineering as his career in the hope that he could support his family as early as possible. He is also planning to do further study in college.
Chen said he doesn’t want his parents to worry about him. He said he would dedicate his life to become a master at automotive mechanics, Taiwan Times reported.
In Taiwan, a person who holds a certificate as a Level B technician for automotive mechanics can apply for car-fixing jobs and join an exam to become a Level A technician after working for 1,600 hours. The minimum wage in Taiwan is NT$22,000 (US$780).