[News from Institutions] WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition 2025 concludes
Twin sisters excel in Graphic Design
Youth reinvents himself in Restaurant Service

The WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition 2025 Prize Presentation Ceremony was held last Thursday (24 July) to honour outstanding performance of over 120 winners across more than 30 skills competitions (see Appendix for details). The winners will undergo intensive training to compete for positions in various skills trades and represent Hong Kong in the 48th WorldSkills Competition to be held next year in Shanghai. Among the winners, a pair of passionate twin sisters ascended the podium for “Graphic Design Technology” skills trade, while a young man found a new sense of confidence and direction in Restaurant Service.

This year’s competition was record-breaking with over 700 young participants, competing in 37 skills trades across six major skills areas, including “Construction and Building Technology”, “Creative Arts and Fashion”, “Information and Communication Technology”, “Manufacturing and Engineering Technology”, “Social and Personal Services” and “Transportation and Logistics”. Two new competition trades, “Cabinetmaking” and “Software Testing” were introduced this year. With most competitions concluded, winners in their respective skills trades have received their awards. They will undergo further training to compete for the chance to represent Hong Kong at the next WorldSkills Competition to be held in Shanghai from 22 to 27 September 2026, an international event hailed as the “Skills Olympics”.

Dr Roy CHUNG, Chairman of Standing Committee on Youth Skills Competition, noted that WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition had served as a vital platform for promoting skills excellence and showcasing the remarkable talents of Hong Kong’s youth. He was deeply honoured to be joined by esteemed guests from WorldSkills International and Member Regions at the Prize Presentation Ceremony. Their presence underscored Hong Kong’s pivotal role in global skills development and their shared commitment to promoting skills excellence, building a future where skills change lives. 

Francis HOURANT, President and Chair of the Board of WorldSkills International said, “The Vocational Training Council (VTC) and WorldSkills Hong Kong are excellent at creating opportunities for young people to develop and celebrate their skills. By competing at the WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition, the skilled young people have shown great commitment and passion for skills. This year is WorldSkills’ 75th anniversary. We are grateful to Hong Kong for hosting the WorldSkills community in our strategic development planning meetings to support WorldSkills’s mission of raising the profile and value of skills worldwide.”

This year’s competition saw two winners with a striking bond. They are twin sisters, HUANG Sze-yi and HUANG Sin-man, who both won in “Graphic Design Technology” skills trade. Guided by their mother, the sisters have nurtured a shared passion for drawing since childhood, often sketching together during family time. Sze-yi, the elder sister, uses drawings instead of written notes to study human anatomy, while Sin-man, a fan of anime, enjoys surreal and mystical art styles and loves inventing whimsical characters. Their mother continues to support them in turning their passion into a career. 

After completing their HKDSE, the twin sisters enrolled in the Higher Diploma in Visual Communication Design programme at the Hong Kong Design Institute (HKDI). Their competition tasks in “Graphic Design Technology” included designing logos, posters and product packaging using computer software, which required not just creativity but also client awareness and a keen understanding of target markets. The sisters incorporated AI tools to spark ideas but emphasised that such tools must remain secondary to human creativity. Both aspire to pursue careers in graphic design, aiming to express their artistic visions through visual storytelling.

Another standout was CHUNG Kai-ming in the “Restaurant Service” skills trade. He is a student of the Diploma in Food and Beverage Operations programme at Hotel and Tourism Institute (HTI). He was once enrolled in a sports-related programme, but a chance to visit a career exhibition opened his eyes to the hospitality and mixology industry, prompting him to change track. While at HTI, Kai-ming served as a student ambassador and earned praise for his warm and professional service to VIP guests. He also worked part-time at a hotel restaurant, where international diners left glowing reviews of his service on travel websites. 

Kai-ming now comes across as a cheerful and energetic young man, but there was an earlier time of confusion and aimlessness, marked by academic struggles and strained family relationships. He is grateful that hospitality profession has given him a new sense of purpose and confidence through service and interpersonal connection. He treasures the award and is determined to train hard in hopes of representing Hong Kong on the global stage. The “Restaurant Service” skills trade tested a wide range of professional skills, from greeting and serving guests to table setup, bread and beverage service, and even portioning and plating of main courses and desserts. Competitors were required to understand international service standards. Kai-ming spent an entire month perfecting the skills of brewing Irish Coffee, which entails a delicate blending of hot coffee, Irish whiskey, sugar, and cream to achieve the optimal texture and aroma. 

Among the winners, there are young rising skills stars who have already shown talent at an early age. This year, seven winners had previously earned awards at the “Hong Kong Junior Skills Competition” for secondary school students. Now, they have claimed another victory at the WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition 2025. Notably, LIN Cheuk-wa, a student of the Diploma of Foundation Studies (Design) programme at the VTC, won the Champion of Senior Secondary Group in the “Fashion Technology” skills trade at last year’s “Hong Kong Junior Skills Competition”. She found the WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition much more challenging, as it demanded professional sewing skills and effective time management. Hailing the experience as a valuable learning journey, she credited her visual arts teachers in primary and secondary schools for encouraging her to explore fashion design as a way of expressing herself through creative art. She acknowledges her family and mentors as her keys to success. With their support, Cheuk-wa has taken the competitions in her stride.

The WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition is jointly organised by the VTC, the Construction Industry Council, and the Clothing Industry Training Authority. It aims to challenge young people to push the boundaries of their technical abilities and provides a platform for mutual exchange and learning. Top performers who complete additional training and assessments will be selected to represent Hong Kong at the WorldSkills Competition. At the previous WorldSkills Competition held in Lyon, France in 2024, Team Hong Kong achieved its best-ever result, bringing home 1 Gold, 1 Silver, 2 Bronze, and 10 Medallions for Excellence — a testament to the city's growing talent pool and world-class training.

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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