HKSAR Chief Executive meets Team Hong Kong from WorldSkills Lyon 2024 to commend skilled young talents

WorldSkills Lyon 2024 concluded in Lyon, France, in September with Team Hong Kong, China achieving its best ever results, clinching 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronzes and 10 Medallions for Excellence. The Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Mr John LEE, received the Hong Kong delegation at the Central Government Offices on 12 November and commended the efforts of the young skilled talent in bringing honour to Hong Kong and affirmed the importance of Vocational and Professional Education and Training (VPET).

The Chief Executive congratulated the competitors of the delegation on achieving outstanding results at the reception, commending them on devoting their best efforts on the international stage, showcasing the excellent skills and talents of our young people, and telling the good stories of Hong Kong through actions. He added that VPET has been playing a pivotal role in the development of society. It not only nurtures talent with applied knowledge and skills for the industries, but also provides young people with the opportunities to unleash their talents, enabling them to pursue their further studies and career development pathways based on their interests and strengths and contribute to society, thereby providing them an alternative path to success. The Chief Executive said that the Government has adopted the strategy of fostering industry institution collaboration and diversified development in promoting VPET as a pathway parallel to conventional academic education, strengthening and enhancing the VPET pathway, and nurturing more quality talent with applied knowledge and skills across all levels.

Hailed as the “Skills Olympics”, the 47th WorldSkills Competition featured 1,400 skilled talent from about 70 countries and regions, participating in 62 skills competitions. As well as delivering a record-breaking performance, 37 Hong Kong competitors participated in 32 skills trade competitions, the highest number of competitors and trade competitions in the history of Hong Kong’s participation. The Hong Kong team won the consecutive Gold medal in the Visual Merchandising trade, secured the Silver medal in the Pâtisserie and Confectionery trade, and 2 Bronze medals in both Aircraft Maintenance and Cloud Computing trades, and 10 Medallions for Excellence in the 3D Digital Game Art, Bakery, Fashion Technology, Graphic Design Technology, Information Network Cabling, Joinery, Mechatronics, Mobile Applications Development, Restaurant Service and Welding trades. These achievements demonstrate that the Hong Kong competitors have reached internationally-recognised skills standards.

The young skilled talent shared their memorable competition experiences in Lyon with the HKSAR Chief Executive, Mr John LEE, Secretary for Education, Dr CHOI Yuk-lin, Permanent Secretary for Education, Ms Michelle LI, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Youth Skills Competition, Dr Roy CHUNG, Honorary Advisors of the Standing Committee on Youth Skills Competition, Dr Clement CHEN and Mr Herman HUI, Vocational Training Council (VTC) Chairman, Mr Tony TAI, Construction Industry Council (CIC) Executive Director, Ir Albert CHENG, Clothing Industry Training Authority (CITA) Chairman, Mr CHENG Man-tak and Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services, Mr Raymond POON. CHAN Wing-ki, a graduate of the Higher Diploma in Design for Event, Exhibition and Performance at Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI), a member institution of VTC, won the Gold Medal in the Visual Merchandising trade. She said that her ability to adjust mental qualities to stay calm during the competition is the key to her victory. Throughout the four-day competition, she faced various pressures and unexpected situations. Her experts helped provide not only emotional support and encouragement, but also taught her to maintain a clear mind and manage time well. She also mentioned that competitors were introduced to different materials on-site, which they had to incorporate into their designs; therefore it was important to react flexibly. 

Bronze Medalists in the Cloud Computing and Aircraft Maintenance trades, WAN Ka-chi and WONG Fu-tung, are graduates of the Higher Diploma in Cloud and Data Centre Administration and Higher Diploma in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering at Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE), another member institution of VTC. They said VPET helped them turn their interests into careers. Participating in the WorldSkills Competition enabled them to learn the latest and advanced technologies in their fields, and to foster continuous improvement and problem-solving, which would greatly benefit their future career development.

The competitors were all already winners in the local WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition jointly organised by the VTC, the CIC and the CITA, and were subsequently selected to attend various types of training and assessment. All three organising parties of the WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition saw competitors they trained bring home prizes. FONG Chun-yin, who entered by CIC in the Joinery trade, won a Medallion for Excellence. He said that this skills competition required a very high level of precision. Competitors needed to focus wholeheartedly to achieve perfection. He expressed gratitude to the expert for arranging training abroad for him before the competition, which allowed him to understand the skills levels of other competitors from different countries/regions and encouraged him to develop a determination to win and a willingness to learn. This series of practical training also enhanced his confidence to participate in the competition. Another Medallion for Excellence winner of the Fashion Technology trade, TAI Hei-lam, student of the Higher Diploma in Fashion Design at HKDI, was trained by a CITA expert. She said that in the early stages of the competition, she felt nervous from being unfamiliar with the competition environment and equipment, which affected her performance. Luckily, her thorough training allowed her to remain composed and recall each step of fashion design and production clearly. Despite initial setbacks, she managed to regain her momentum in the later stages of the competition and ultimately succeeded in winning an award.

The biennial WorldSkills Competition organised by WorldSkills International, aims at raising awareness of VPET, as well as providing a valuable exchange platform for competitors and skills experts. Since first participating in WorldSkills in 1997, Hong Kong has won four Gold medals, two Silvers, seven Bronzes and 81 Medallions for Excellence.

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 to provide support to industries for their manpower development. VTC has 14 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 Hong Kong Institute of Information Technology (HKIIT),  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

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