S’pore youth prepare for ‘Olympics of vocational skills’ in France with help from past competitors

SINGAPORE – Ms Shuner Villanueva Leong remembers bursting into tears when she was handed a Singapore flag and told to join two other competitors on stage for the announcement of the winners at the WorldSkills competition in London in 2011.

“They announced the winner for bronze, and then the winner for silver, but my name still hadn’t been called yet. I cried even more!” said Ms Leong, 34.

A beauty therapy student at the time, she became the first participant from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to win a gold medal. She was also Singapore’s first gold medal winner in beauty therapy at the international competition, which is often called the Youth Olympics of vocational skills.

Ms Leong, who became an ITE lecturer in 2015 after attaining a diploma in beauty therapy, now trains students for the WorldSkills contest.

The biennial competition, held in different countries every edition, challenges young people to show their vocational skills in categories such as creative arts and fashion, construction and building technology, information and communication technology, and transportation and logistics.

Contestants are usually no older than 23.

Apart from the global event, the competition is also held at the regional and national levels.

In September, 35 young people from ITE, polytechnics and SBS Transit will represent Singapore in 30 skill areas at the 47th WorldSkills competition in Lyon, France, to be held from Sept 10 to 15.

This is the biggest team Singapore is sending to the global event since its maiden participation in 1995.

The Republic’s representatives include winners at the local and regional WorldSkills competitions.

Among them is Ms Christine Huang, 20, a first-year beauty and wellness management diploma student at ITE College East.

She will compete in the same category as Ms Leong, who has been helping with her preparations.

Ms Huang said of her mentor: “She understands how the competition works. She knows the momentum and the emotional aspect of rigorous training.”

Ms Huang will be tested on a variety of skills, from nail and skin care, to body massage and make-up expertise.

She said the challenge will lie in knowing the types of products she has to use, as she may not be familiar with some of them.

“I might not know how a product works, because different products work differently. Nonetheless, I have the general knowledge and I have practised, so I will do my best,” said Ms Huang, who since 2023 has been spending most of her free time before and after school preparing for the competition.

Stumbling into the culinary arts

Another WorldSkills mentor is Mr Jerome Lim.

Now 25, he won a silver medal for cooking at the local WorldSkills competition in 2018, and went on to represent Singapore in Bangkok in 2018, and in Russia in 2019, where he received the Medallion for Excellence both times.

The medallion is awarded to competitors who score 700 or more points, but do not receive a gold, silver or bronze medal.

Mr Lim, currently a baker at a local food and beverage establishment, is coaching Ms Sage Ng Xin Yu, 20, for the competition.

Ms Ng, who graduated from Republic Polytechnic (RP) in May with a diploma in restaurant and culinary operations, said of Mr Lim’s coaching: “I think it’s great to listen to the experiences he had in Bangkok and Russia.

“It’s also very useful when he tells me what will happen during the competition.”

Ms Ng likes baking – pastries, in particular – and is looking forward to competing against more people at the international competition.

“In the regional competition, I competed against fewer than 15 people, I think. But in Lyon, I’ll be competing against 50 or more people. So I’m very excited,” said Ms Ng, who won gold medals at the regional and local competitions.

Mr Lim believes Ms Ng will benefit immensely from the competition – after all, his WorldSkills experience helped pave the way for him to join the food and beverage industry.

“It’s definitely impossible to be trained the way we were, just based on the school curriculum. The sheer number of hours we spent preparing for the competition – that really benefited us,” said Mr Lim, who found a passion for the culinary arts after studying it at RP, even though his original ambition was to be a physiotherapist.

His own training for the WorldSkills competition took a rigorous two years.

He said: “As you progress through the stages – local, regional and international – the pressure and stress will definitely increase over time.

“Representing your country is a whole different ball game from representing your school. You are competing against the best in the region and the world, like up-and-coming chefs.”

Persevering through uncertainty

Another past WorldSkills participant, Mr Lo Ray Hwee, returned in 2019 to his alma mater Temasek Polytechnic (TP) to teach.

The 34-year-old lecturer in mechatronics has been coaching Mr Lee Zheng Han, 24, and Mr Matthew Francis Thanarajoo, 24, who are competing in the mechatronics team event in Lyon.

In this event, competitors are tested on their skills in mechanics, electronics, pneumatics and computer technology to design, build, maintain and troubleshoot automated equipment, as well as program equipment control systems.

Mr Lo said: “My competition experience helps me to understand how the new competitors feel when they are doing this training, because back then, I also faced a lot of pressure, stress and fatigue.

“I really push them to the limit, to their breaking point. But I also talk to them, not just about technical stuff. We joke around, talk about life.”

Back in 2011 when he was preparing for the WorldSkills competition, he and his five coursemates from TP did not have much guidance at first.

He said: “The six of us were just trying things out. We didn’t know what to expect, and progress was very slow.” 

Things improved once a coach from automation company Festo came on board. Their confidence grew in the months leading up to the local contest.

“I didn’t expect to win anything, and TP had never won a gold before. But during the competition, we realised we had a very good chance,” said Mr Lo, whose team eventually won the gold medal.

He said that participating in WorldSkills helped increase his interest in engineering, and he went on to pursue a degree in mechatronics engineering at the University of Glasgow in 2013, through a tie-up with the Singapore Institute of Technology.

Apart from Mr Lo, Mr Lee and Mr Thanarajoo have another coach, who is an expert in the industry.

Mr Lee said: “There’s a good balance between both of them. One has real industry experience and wants to push us more, and then we have Mr Lo, who knows the competition’s demands and focuses mainly on those.”