[News from Institutions] The first Hong Kong Junior Skills Competition
A blend of skills and technology in competitions to arouse secondary students' interest through competitions

The Vocational Training Council (VTC), the Construction Industry Council and the Clothing Industry Training Authority jointly organised the “Hong Kong Junior Skills Competition” for the first time, introducing to secondary school students the professional skills of different trades. The Opening Ceremony of this competition was held yesterday (28 May) and close to 70 students from 15 secondary schools have enrolled to compete in six skills competitions, such as Digital Construction and Mobile Applications Development. Through this Competition, students can experience the fun of skills and better prepare themselves for future career planning.

At the Opening Ceremony, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Youth Skills Competition, Dr Clement CHEN, noted that skills training is a pivotal part of career planning for students. If they are given the opportunity to learn about different skills, it will definitely benefit their professional development in the future. He also added that, through the “Hong Kong Junior Skills Competition”, secondary school students can get the chance to learn about skills and to develop their interests and strengths, which will contribute to their future planning of academic and career advancement.

The “Hong Kong Junior Skills Competition 2022” consists of six skills competitions, namely Digital Construction, Fashion Technology, Graphic Design Technology, Mobile Applications Development, Painting and Decorating, and Restaurant Service. Competitions are in general divided into Junior Secondary Group and Senior Secondary Group, and awards will be given to the Champion, First Runner-up and Second Runner-up of each entrant group. In order to enhance competitors’ understanding of the skills and professional knowledge of their respective competition trade, they were provided a series of online briefing and training, self-learning videos, as well as face-to-face training in small groups, so that they can acquire the relevant skills and fundamental knowledge to better prepare themselves for the competition, and develop their interest from there.

Shortly after the Opening Ceremony held at the VTC’s BIMiHub, the competition of Digital Construction and Painting and Decorating took place on the same day. The four other competitions will be held on different dates in June as well. Live streaming will be arranged for all competitions, so that school teachers and students, parents, and the industry partners can witness how the students strive to apply their learned skills to compete with each other and get the best result.

The Competition is also supported by the local secondary schools. Hong Kong and Kowloon Kaifong Women’s Association Sun Fong Chung College nominated a number of students to compete in the competition trades of Digital Construction, Graphic Design Technology and Restaurant Service. The School’s Design and Technology teacher Mr SUEN Po-kwong indicated that in the Digital Construction competition, competitors were required to use the Building Information Modelling (BIM) software – a software widely adopted by the industry – to complete their projects. He said, this software is attuned to the industry needs, and thus the competition could equip the competitors with the latest technology of the industry and prepare themselves better for relevant career development in future. Mr SUEN also added, competitors were provided with training before the competition to get themselves familarised with the software, which enabled them to complete their design within the two-hour competition.

The theme of the Digital Construction skills competition is “Dream House”. Secondary 3 student CHENG Ying from the same school shared that the “Dream House” in her design would have a high ceiling and prominent French windows overlooking the outdoor garden. She said, “Apart from the interior design, the biggest challenge of the competition is to make use of my BIM knowledge and skills to design its peripheral facilities, such as the car park, garden and roads. Thanks for the training session and videos provided, I can get myself prepared with the basic skills. I hope I can give my best performance in the competition.”

VTC always offers valuable credentials on the skills training for the youth. It has already been 25 years since Hong Kong first formed a delegation to participate in the WorldSkills Competition, an international competition hailed as the “Skills Olypmics”, in 1997. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the “Hong Kong Junior Skills Competition 2022” is one of the new initiatives to promote professional skills to the secondary school students, as well as to enhance society’s understanding on the importance of vocational and professional education and training (VPET). Moreover, the “Hong Kong Junior Skills Competition 2022” is also part of the celebration activities of the VTC 40th Anniversary.

Established in 1982, the Vocational Training Council (VTC) is the largest vocational and professional education and training provider in Hong Kong. The mission of VTC is to provide a valued choice to school leavers and working people to acquire the values, knowledge and skills for lifelong learning and enhanced employability, and also to provide support to industries for their manpower development. VTC has 13 member institutions, namely the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi) , the Institute of Professional Education And Knowledge (PEAK) , the School for Higher and Professional Education (SHAPE), the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE) , the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI) , the Hotel and Tourism Institute (HTI) , the Chinese Culinary Institute (CCI) , the International Culinary Institute (ICI) , the Maritime Services Training Institute (MSTI) , Youth College , Pro-Act by VTC , the Integrated Vocational Development Centre (IVDC) and the Shine Skills Centre

Website:www.vtc.edu.hk

Media Enquiries: 2836 1869