MEDIA RELEASE

NEW ACHIEVEMENTS AND RECORDS SET AT WORLDSKILLS SINGAPORE 2018

SINGAPORE, 10 JULY 2018 – WorldSkills Singapore (WSS) 2018 came to a close after three days of intense competition.

2             The Closing Ceremony was officiated by Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State for Ministry of Education and Ministry of Trade and Industry. There were a total of 91 winners with 34 Gold, 30 Silver and 27 Bronze medals, and they received cash awards of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 respectively for individual competitors and cash awards of $4,500, $3,000 and $1,500 respectively for team events. Please refer to Annex A for the details of the results.

3             The top medallists will represent Singapore at the upcoming ASEAN Skills Competition (ASC) in Bangkok, Thailand, from 31 August to 2 September 2018. They will also have the opportunity to represent Singapore at the 45th WorldSkills Competition (WSC) in Kazan, Russia, in August 2019.  

A National Celebration of Skills

4             The WSS 2018 took place from 5 to 7 July 2018 as a key activity of the month-long SkillsFuture Festival.  

5             The event attracted a record number of 246 competitors in 26 skills areas, a significant increase of more than 60 per cent from WSS 2016. Nine new categories were also added to the previous 17 skills areas. At the same time, the competition included the inaugural participation from the Autonomous Universities (AUs). 

6             At the sidelines of the competition, secondary school students attended workshops and talks conducted by educational institutions and industry partners, and an interactive exhibition to explore and learn about different education and career pathways. This was part of the efforts to support youths in discovering their interests and strengths, building upon the Education and Career Guidance efforts in schools. 

Distinguished Service Award in Recognition of Strong Industry Support

7             WSS 2018 also saw greater involvement by industry partners who provided the holistic skills learning experiences for visitors. Their increased participation reflects the industry’s growing recognition and support for WSS, and its role in driving the SkillsFuture movement. 

8             Many industry experts stepped forward to be part of the Technical Working Group (TWG) in their respective skills areas.  They helped to set up the test projects and marking schemes for competitors. During the competition, they also doubled up as the judges.  Five industry experts who had contributed their expertise for 20 years at 10 WSS competitions were recognised for their unwavering support and conferred the Distinguished Service Award this year (recipients at Annex B).

9             Mr Ng Cher Pong, Chairman of WorldSkills Singapore Council and Chief Executive of SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) said, “We have successfully concluded WorldSkills Singapore 2018. Over the past few days, we have witnessed how committed, disciplined and passionate the competitors are about their crafts. It is no mean feat. They have put in many hours of hard work to fight for the opportunity to represent Team Singapore at regional and international levels. The 91 winners are role models for their peers.”

Results and Interviews

10           For further information and arrangement for photography and selection of competitors for interviews, please contact: 

Ms Jamie Chan

Head/Media, ITE

Tel: 6590 2026 / 9845 0910

Email: Jamie_Chan@ite.edu.sg

Mr Hans Yeo 

Corporate & Media Relations Officer,

ITE

Tel: 6590 2040 / 9759 7389 

Email: Hans_H_Z_Yeo@ite.edu.sg

Ms Cherlyn Tan

Manager/Media Relations,

SkillsFuture Singapore

Tel: 6307 7404 / 9800 0108

Email: Cherlyn_Tan@ssg.gov.sg

About WorldSkills Singapore 

The WorldSkills Singapore Competition is led by SkillsFuture Singapore, and jointly organised by the Institute of Technical Education, Nanyang Polytechnic, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, Republic Polytechnic, Singapore Polytechnic, Temasek Polytechnic and the Ministry of Education. WorldSkills Singapore supports the national SkillsFuture movement and offers a platform for competitors to showcase their capabilities in the pursuit of skills mastery. It is but one of many milestones in a lifelong journey for Singaporeans to deepen skills and to discover their passions.

About SkillsFuture Singapore 

SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) drives and coordinates the implementation of the national SkillsFuture movement, promotes a culture of lifelong learning and strengthens the ecosystem of quality education and training in Singapore. Through a holistic system of national SkillsFuture initiatives, SSG enables Singaporeans to take charge of their learning journey in their pursuit of skills mastery. SSG also works with key stakeholders to ensure that students and adults have access to high quality and industry-relevant training that meet the demands of different sectors of the economy for an innovative and productive workforce. For more information, visit www.ssg.gov.sg. 

ANNEX A

Results for WorldSkills Singapore 2018

3D Digital Game Art

Aircraft Maintenance

Automobile Technology

Beauty Therapy

CNC Milling

CNC Turning

Cooking

Cyber Security (2 competitors per team)

 Electronics

 Fashion Technology

 Freight Forwarding

 Graphic Design Technology

 Hairdressing

 Health and Social Care

 Industrial Control

 Information Network Cabling

 IT Network Systems Administration

 IT Software Solutions for Business

Mechatronics (2 competitors per team)

Mechanical Engineering CAD

Mobile Robotics (2 competitors per team)

Rapid Transit Systems (2 Competitors per team)

Restaurant Service

Visual Merchandising

Water Technology

Web Design and Development

ANNEX B

Distinguished Service Award Recipients