Meet Rachel Chua of the WorldSkills Champions Trust

When Rachel Chua of Singapore choose her career path, she knew that she did not want a desk job, but wanted to learn a practical skill that could make a difference in the lives of the people around her. Nursing became the obvious choice.

As she honed her skills in nursing the patients that she had hoped to help, taught her endless lessons. “Their resiliency, tenacity, and the will to fight their disease, inspires me to want to be a better health care professional, to provide them with the best care possible,” said Rachel. “They always remind me that there is so much to be thankful for and that I must count my blessings daily.”

When her colleagues returned from WorldSkills Calgary 2009, Rachel researched the Competition, but thought at first that it was too massive for her to even contemplate participating in. However, a few months later when her instructor asked her to try out for a local competition, Rachel decided to follow the same passion that motivated her to be the best professional possible and she began her WorldSkills journey. In the process she learnt a lot about herself and the benefits of being stretched beyond her limits.

Eventually Rachel earned a position on Team Singapore for WorldSkills London 2011, where she received a gold medal in Caring with teammate Kaiyan Jaslyn Li. “While WorldSkills was an amazing experience that gave me opportunities I would never have had; it gave me more than that. It taught me about life. How to say yes to challenges,” said Rachel.

The advice Rachel received repeatedly from her Expert while training for WorldSkills London 2011 influenced her mind-set leading up to and following her time on the world stage. “I was reminded that the journey is more important than the medal; this to me was everything. This idea has changed my life.”

Ensuring others benefit from a WorldSkills journey is paramount for Rachel. The opportunity to pay forward her experiences, motivated her to apply for the WorldSkills Champion Trust. Rachel believes “that the power of vocational skills is largely overlooked in the modern society. The word needs to get out that vocational training is the key to many opportunities and I plan to do just that.”

Now as a representative for Asia on the WorldSkills Champions Trust, Rachel works to advance the WorldSkills movement, ensuring others benefit from the opportunities available to them when they pursue their calling, just like she did.