[News from Institutions] WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition 2023 concludes
Young skilled talents aspire to shine in WorldSkills Lyon 2024

A bevy of young talents who excelled in over 30 skills competitions were recognised in the WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition Prize Presentation Ceremony yesterday, 25 November. The winners, as detailed in the Annex, will undergo intensive training to compete for positions in various skills trades and represent Hong Kong in the 47th WorldSkills Competition to be held in Lyon, France next year where they will compete and exchange with skilled talents from around the world.

Keeping abreast of the latest technology developments, the WorldSkills Competition has responded to the training needs in various industries. Through the competition, competitors are able enhance their skills levels in their respective fields and understand the industry development. This year, over 30 skills trades across six categories “Construction and Building Technology”, “Creative Arts and Fashion”, “Information and Communication Technology”, “Manufacturing and Engineering Technology”, “Social and Personal Services", and “Transportation and Logistics” were covered with some new skills trades, such as “Bakery” and “Hotel Reception”. A total of 101 winners who performed well in the competition of respective skills trades were awarded. These winners were undergoing further skills training to compete for the chance to represent Hong Kong in the WorldSkills Competition to be held next year.

Speaking at the Prize Presentation Ceremony, Dr Clement CHEN, Chairman of the Standing Committee on Youth Skills Competition, remarked that the participants of this year’s competition come from institutions of higher education, secondary schools and apprenticeship scheme. The significant increase in the number of secondary school students was noted. He added that some of the winners had also gained recognition in some recent regional and international competitions. He hoped all winners would continue to strive for excellence and shine in WorldSkills Lyon 2024, He wished the competitors every success in their studies and careers, and contribute to the society.

“Hotel Reception” was one of the new skills trades of WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition this year. Grace LAM, the Expert of “Hotel Reception” skills trade and the Deputy Manager (Hotel Operations & Training) of Hotel and Tourism Institute (HTI), explained that the competition simulated daily tasks of a hotel front desk. Competitors were required to handle the guest check-in procedures, provide information about attractions and arrange itineraries, as well as to handle customer enquiries in a professional manner. In doing so, they had to demonstrate their positive attitude in customer service, communication skills, and problem-solving ability. Eugenia YUEN, a graduate of Higher Diploma in International Hospitality and Tourism Management programme at the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE), emerged as the winner of this trade. During her study at IVE, Eugenia was offered an internship at a local theme park where she gained valuable experience in guest hospitality. She also took part in the "Global Internship Programme" launched by an international hotel group where she had a two-month internship at one of their hotels in Phuket, Thailand. "It was a large resort in Phuket and I mainly worked at the front desk there.  We had to bring the guests to their rooms using golf carts and would pass by the restaurants, fitness rooms, swimming pools and children's playgrounds on the way. I made use of the rides to introduce the hotel facilities and foster a positive rapport with the guests. Receiving guests from different countries and diverse cultural backgrounds was challenging, and I took the opportunity to brush up my English proficiency. I always greeted guests with sincerity. I once saw a foreign couple in the hotel lobby, I took the initiative to take photos for them and recommend some nearby attractions. They praised me for making them feel at home and expressed their intention to return to Phuket and stay at our hotel again. I was deeply moved by their words." This internship experience has broadened Eugenia's international perspective and enhanced her hospitality skills, setting the stage for her to excel in the WorldSkills Competition. With the recovery of the tourism industry, there is an increasing global demand for professionals in hospitality service and management. Eugenia was determined to pursue a career in the hotel industry and was currently studying a bachelor’s degree in International Hospitality and Tourism Management offered by the School of Higher and Professional Education (SHAPE) in collaboration with overseas university.

Mike NG, an IVE graduate of Higher Diploma in Cloud and Data Centre Administration programme, won a Medallion for Excellence in the “Cloud Computing” trade at last year’s WorldSkills Competition. This year, Will WAN, who is studying the same Higher Diploma programme, emerged as a winner in the Hong Kong competition. Will took Mike as his role model. He said, "My final year project at IVE involved developing a visualised database system with Artificial Intelligence technology on a cloud platform in partnership with a cloud computing services company where Mike and I worked. During that time, Mike often encouraged me to join various open competitions to apply what I had learned, like a competition on autonomous driving model car and machine learning technology. After graduating from the university, Mike invited me to join his start-up as a cloud engineer. I have been working in the company to provide cloud and information technology solutions to clients.” Will aspired to follow in Mike’s footsteps to pass on the skills and experience to the young generation. In addition to his full-time work and training, he continued to enhance his skills of the latest cloud technologies. He hoped to follow Mike’s examples and earn a spot in international competitions with his skills. 

At the Prize Presentation Ceremony, a Certificate of Honorary Member awarded by WorldSkills International was presented to Carrie YAU, former Official Delegate of WorldSkills Hong Kong. Certificates of Merit were presented to LAM Man-kei and Eric LO, former Experts in “Electrical Installations” trade and “Mobile Robotics” trade respectively in appreciation of their unwavering dedication to WorldSkills Competition.  

Jointly-organised by the Vocational Training Council (VTC), the Construction Industry Council and the Clothing Industry Training Authority, the WorldSkills Hong Kong Competition is committed to providing a platform for young people to showcase skills excellence and challenge themselves against professional standards and skills. Upon further training and selection, competitors with outstanding performance may have a chance to represent Hong Kong in the WorldSkills Competition, which was hailed as the “Skills Olympics”. The WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition was held from September to November last year, attracting over 1,000 talented youngsters from nearly 60 countries and regions to participate. Team Hong Kong took home the highest number of medals won over the years with one Gold Medal and 12 Medallions for Excellence. Since first joining the WorldSkills Competition in 1997, Team Hong Kong has won three Gold, one Silver, five Bronze Medals and 71 Medallions for Excellence. The awards have affirmed that our young people can flourish in the international arena with their high level of skills. 

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 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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