WorldSkills Singapore Summary

The closing ceremony for WorldSkills Singapore commenced on the 26th January 2011 which brought a closure to the grueling and intense competition ; NYP did amazing well - winning 27 medals and claiming 8 gold medals out of a competition which had 18 skills areas. Most notable was the clean sweep of gold to bronze awards for the Graphic Design and Information Network Systems Administration trades. The latter also did it's best showing ever, winning 2 simultaneous golds and earning a chance to send two competitors to London for the WorldSkills International Final.

We will bring you detailed updates of the closing ceremony and interviews of the winners, which will follow shortly after we gather and finalize the pictures.

Here are the list of NYP winners:

WorldSkills Singapore 2011 Results

Caring

Rachel Chloe Chua, Li Kai Yun Jaslyn (Gold)

Sheena Ramazanu, Lim Shi Xue Suzanne (Silver)

Lang Yee Hwee, Nursyafiqah Bte A Yazid (Medallion of Excellence) 

CNC Milling
Kenny Lin Zhaoxiong (Gold)

Chew Yee Tian (Silver)

CNC Turning
Ong Han Jie (Gold) 
Au-Yong Wei Liang (Bronze)

Electronics 
Aw Zhi Hao (Bronze)

Graphic Design Technology

Tham May Peng Marilyn (Gold)

Lee Anne Nanyang (Silver)

Goh Fo Ler Nanyang (Bronze)

Toh Lay Kie Angeline (Bronze)

Information Network Cabling
Tan Wei Shen (Bronze)

Chia Wee Teck (Medallion of Excellence)

IT Network Systems Administration

Lee De Sheng Royson (Gold)

Sim Mong Khim Jared (Gold)

Kok Kiat Han (Bronze)

Hu Kai Yuan (Medallion of Excellence)

IT Software Solutions for Business 
Teo Yi Ling Erin (Silver)
Soh You Jun (Medallion of Excellence)
 

Mechanical Engineering Design - CAD

Wang Fei (Silver) 

Mechatronics 

Ho Zhan Feng Roderick, Terence Capriane Seah (Silver)

Bay Yong Wen, Chua Wei Sheng (Bronze)

Sun Qiang, Ling Cheng Xun Jeremy (Medallion of Excellence)

Mobile Robotics

Tang Shi Jie, Tan Chia Kai (Gold)

Kui Zhi Xiang, Simon Soh Chi Heng (Silver)

Visual Merchandising
Loh Yi Qi Nanyang (Gold)


Stay tuned for more interviews and updates! :)

In order to make the cut, you have to not just work hard, but work smart as well.

The idea of a "promising boot camp" was what drew Angeline Toh Lay Kie to participate in WorldSkills Singapore 2011. The third-year Diploma in Digital Animation Design (Animation) student knows that the experiences and exposure she gains from the competition would mould her into a better person, and make her ready to take on the the challenges of the industry.

"Designers have to accomplish multiple tasks within a short period of time. In order to make the cut, you have to not just work hard, but work smart as well. This is the message our coaches have been instilling in us," said Angeline.

Angeline is thankful to her coaches for their guidance and strong support. "One of our coaches likened the finals to being in the subways of London, getting immersed in the big city and feeling the weather on your face. I find this analogy inspiring as I love venturing into new grounds," she explained.

While Angeline hopes to achieve top honours, she also wants to achieve a sense of professionalism, and be a more confident person in all her future endeavours. At the same time, she would strive to remain humble, as there is much to learn in the design industry.

"In life, we can only reach our goals when we have the right attitude. And attitude is something that can be gained through accumulated experiences. I see WorldSkills as a major stepping stone for any competitor, regardless of which industry they join in the future," said Angeline.

Day 2 : Competition Arena, Post Updates

I apologize for the delay in updates, these are some pictures compromising of Day 2 updates, some of which have results from Day 1

 From Electronics Trade

Information Network Trade

IT Software Solutions for Buiness

IT Network Systems Administration Trade

Koh Kiat Han from NYP

A very charming Mohammed Fariz Bin Junaidi at work

Abigale Pua from Temasek Polytechnic

And lastly, some of the beautiful work from the Graphics Design Trade that were conceptualized and designed on Day 1 :)

Key to Success: Perseverance & Teamwork

Mobile Robotics is a team event...let's catch up with competitors Tan Chia Kai and Tang Shi Jie from NYP.

A passion for robots is the reason that Chia Kai decided to participate in WorldSkills Singapore 2011. The third-year student is fascinated with robotics, and gets a sense of satisfaction when he successfully programmes his robot. Said Chia Kai, “Programming a robot to do tasks – such as moving in a path to avoid obstacles – is actually quite complex, so I feel very happy when my robot can accomplish what we have set it out to do.”

Both Chai Kai and his team-mate, Shi Jie, feel that besides brushing up on their skills, mental preparation is equally important. As Shi Jie explained, “We need to think critically and know how to react to unexpected situations. Whenever we encounter difficulties, we would face them squarely, and think of how to solve them. The key to success is perseverance and teamwork.”

And teamwork is certainly important for this duo, who work as a team by specialising in different areas. Chia Kai’s specialisation is in programming, while Shi Jie focuses on the mechanical engineering aspects of the tasks. However, the team is versatile and can quickly adapt and switch roles if needed.

All the best, guys!

He Drew Inspiration From Past NYP Competitors

Today, we zoom in on Li Shing To, a competitor for IT Software Solutions for Business.

It is Shing To’s dream to represent Singapore at the world’s stage in the WorldSkills Competition, even before he joined NYP. He drew much inspiration from the performances of NYP graduates Viridis Liew and Lo Min Ming, past WorldSkills Competition winners who not going won gold medals for Singapore, but also attained the prestigious Albert Vidal award, which is given to a top overall performer in this international-level competition.

Shing To, who is passionate about programming from young, feels that having a sense of determination is key to doing well. He said, “There is always a solution to every task, and what we need to do is firstly to assess what needs to be done. Once the problem has been found, the potential solution can then be divided mentally into steps. It is then all about execution, and being able to produce the correct solution in the shortest time.”

Shing To believes that winning a medal at WorldSkills Singapore is an attainable goal, as long as he tries his best and perseveres till the end.

“I will try my very best to achieve a favourable outcome. It is one thing to listen to the stories of past champions and another to experience it personally. If I do well, it is an affirmation of the NYP team’s methodology and competency,” he said.

VISUAL MERCHANDISING

Sheena and Suzanne - Competitors in 'Caring'

Hey there, here's the second installment of profiles of our competitors. Meet Sheena Ramanzanu and Suzanne Lim from NYP.

For Diploma in Nursing students Sheena and Suzanne, one of the most valuable lessons they have learnt from training for WorldSkills Singapore is their ability to be sensitive to their patients’ needs.

Said Suzanne, “The competition has taught us that we need to understand our patients well and truly care for them as professional nurses. This is our commitment to our patients, and we practise this not just during this competition, but also during our clinical attachments.”

Her teammate Sheena even thinks about how to translate medical terms to layman language to better communicate with her patients. She said, “As a Nursing student, my natural tendency is to use medical terms for patients’ conditions. However, I am conscious that my patients may not understand these terms, so I try to use language that they will understand.”

As the girls have known each year since their first year, they naturally bonded together and worked well as a team. “We understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses well, and this helps us to perform, especially under time pressure, “said Sheena.

Have they set any goals for themselves for the competition? “Our target is to do our best. We want to give our 101 percent for the finals!” said Suzanne.

Second day, Competition Arena

Here are some photo updates to keep you abreast of what has been going on in the Sports Hall ;
these are just highlights of what the competitors are tasked for on Day 2. I did not quite bother to take photos of the competitors, nor some of their works, which in the case of Graphic Design trade, has already been published  - lest my IPhone4 camera should do no justice to their quality work and imperturbable faces.

I will instead leave this important task to my fellow colleague Bjorn who will update this blog later on in the day with more photos on his end :)

This is one of the modules (a much simpler version of course) which I had to take in my diploma. It requires a systematic approach to administrating networks commands, to which of course, I struggled with. So kudos to the people who mastered this trade!

Think the diagram looks simple? Things are never as simple as it seems and I mean it, in every sense of the word. From my layman perspective, it will take me a few weeks just to link up this entire network where as the competitors are given only 3 hours. Representing NYP in this trade are: Royson Lee, Jared Sim, Kok Kiat Han and Hu Kai Yuan. 

NYP also has a history of winning gold in this trade with predecessors such as Tan Thiam Shui and Viridis Liew, who have later both gone on to win the WorldSkills International event in this trade too. Viridis Liew is currently a lecturer at NYP and is also on-site at the WorldSkills event with Team NYP.

This is one of my favourite trades. I have always enjoyed the use of software automation to increase efficiency in our day to day routine activities. The people who are representing this trade from NYP are: Koh Kah Wei, Li Shing To, Soh You Jun and Erin Teo who are known to be the cream of the crop in their cohorts.

Caring was one of the trades that thrilled my girlfriend no end yesterday when she came to visit me here at WorldSkills Singapore. This trade has invited lots of nurse specialists from all over different hospitals in Singapore as judges. It also has a sizable number of observers and is proving to be very interesting.

One of my favourite modules, although surprisingly I have no talent nor skill in any designing, in comparison to the Macbook people around me in this event, to name a few: Bjorn Goh, Priss, Danial, whom I think, all have a certain unique artistic flair in them. May someone forbid me from ever showing any of you my designs :P

There are also some very visually engaging displays of work going on in the Mobile Robotics Trade, where I also note there are a much higher number of photographers congregating at. If you have the time, do drop by to Mobile Robotics Trade (upon entrance, turn right) at ITE College West, Sports Hall.

-Kenneth