2 December 2008
Team Singapore Scores!
By: Victor Yen, ITE, Singapore
Singapore Excels in ASEAN Skills Competition
Singapore's debut participation at the 7th ASEAN Skills Competition (ASC), held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, reaped a golden harvest. Team Singapore, which was made up entirely of students from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), displayed their finesse and skills in their respective competition areas - and struck gold!
Held from 14 to 16 November 2008, the competition featured some 200 technically-competent youths from 10 South-east Asian countries competing in 19 skill areas. Eighteen students from ITE competed in nine skill areas, namely: Beauty Therapy, Cooking, Graphic Design, Industrial Electronics, IT-Software Applications, Mechanical Engineering Drawing & Design CADD, Mechatronics, Restaurant Services and Web Design.
A Commendable Achievement
In six of these skill areas, the Singapore competitors pipped their rivals to the top of the winners' podium by winning four gold medals in Beauty Therapy, Mechanical Engineering Drawing & Design CADD and Mechatronics and five Diplomas of Excellence. Through the team's efforts, Singapore came in fifth in the medal tally from among the 10 participating countries.
Mr Bruce Poh, Director & CEO, ITE and Head of the Singapore Delegation, said: "Considering that competitors from ITE competed against the best from the ASEAN countries, an achievement of four Gold Medals in nine skill areas is indeed commendable. Many thanks to the Singapore experts and coaches, who worked very hard in preparing the competitors."
Golden Stepping Stone
Apart from bagging the gold medal in Mechatronics, teammates Muhammad Hamdany Bin Abu Hassan and Leow Ying Jie also gained the Best of Nation Award for scoring the highest points among all the Singapore competitors. What does winning the competition mean to them? Leow Ying Jie said: "This competition is a stepping stone for my future and I'm proud to win the gold medal in Singapore's first participation in the competition." Muhammad Hamdany also affirmed that through this competition, he developed a "deeper appreciation for Mechatronics", and that has given him confidence to further his studies after ITE.
In Beauty Therapy, Singapore scored two gold medals through Melissa Teo Hui Jun and Chua Ka Wen. Sharing her joy with the "golden" girls, Judith Chng Ming Ming, Section Head of Beauty Therapy at ITE College East and one of the Experts at the 7th ASC, said: "Both girls have performed to our high expectations of them. Their achievements are a testament to how far the Nitec in Beauty Therapy course at ITE has arrived. Although still a relatively young course, we have produced good results".
For more information please visit: www.ite.edu.sg or www.aseanskills.kkr.gov.my/asc