A high school student from Kaohsiung switched trades and won gold at Taiwan's national skills competition, a win for vocational training and for the student himself.

• Li Song-yan of Kaohsiung Industrial High School took first place in plumbing and heating at the 56th National Skills Competition, with President Lai Ching-te handing him the award.
• He originally trained in electrical wiring but moved to plumbing after deciding his programming skills were too weak for the electrical category.
• He carried his electrical control knowledge into pipework, an unusual crossover that helped him stand out.
• Weak points in copper pipe welding and measurement precision nearly stopped him at the national level, so he trained across two sites and got coaching from a former gold-medal national team member.

Outlook: The win positions him as a candidate for higher-level and international skills competitions.