China Development Financial (hereinafter referred to as CDF) has established the “Vocational Education Scholarship ” (hereinafter referred to as Scholarship) through its CDIB Education and Cultural Affairs Foundation (hereinafter referred to as the “Foundation”) for three years. On an annual basis, the Foundation offers NT$5mn in grants that fund vocational school students from less-privileged families to sharpen their skills in such fields as sports, cooking, paint-brushing, etc. There have been 180 recipients from 98 secondary schools or higher-education institutes around Taiwan.
The foundation points out that 14 Scholarship recipients graduated this year. One of the recipients Wu who has received the Scholarship for three years showcased culinary skills in the “K. P. Chef’s Factory,” an affiliated restaurant of his school, Kai Ping Culinary School where he prepared 5-course meals to show what he has learned and received critical acclaim from culinary professionals present that day. Wu’s mother also took a day off from work to show her support.
The school says that Wu came from a single-parent, low-income immigrant family and indulged himself in online games in the third grade of junior high school. He didn’t plan on going to senior high school and gave up on himself. However, using the Scholarship offered by the Foundation, Wu was able to apply and then attend Kai Ping Culinary School, where he appeared to demonstrate aptitude for cooking as winner of a number of school cooking competitions. He came in first in a school competition of knife-using skills.
According to the Foundation, the Scholarship is meant to help students from less-priviledged families develop their aptitudes, which might be in sports, cooking or paint-brushing. The Scholarship receipients come from diverse backgrounds, such as Yilan High School soccer team that won third place in last years’ secondary-school 11-man tournament, the National Hu-Wei Agricultural & Industrial Vocational School graduate Wang Wei-zhi representing Taiwan to compete in international vocational skill competition held in Kazan of Russia. Wang further advanced his studies after graduation to make it onto Taiwan’s national team of vocational skills completion, focusing on the category of plaster skills and dry-wall system (paint brushing).
CDF not only emphasizes education and the fostering of talents but dedicates to increasing the happiness felt and shared by the whole society. The four subsidiaries, China Life, KGI Bank, KGI Securities, and CDIB Capital, and the two foundations, CDIB Education and Cultural Affairs Foundation and KGI Charity Foundation have all made an effort to participate in charity events, nurture artistic talents, improve education in remote rural areas, and encourage employees to get involved, as a way of fulfilling our corporate social responsibility.
