05/07/2018

WORLDSKILLS SINGAPORE 2018 ENHANCED TO ELEVATE SKILLS MASTERY IN SINGAPORE

WorldSkills Singapore (WSS) 2018 was launched today by Minister for Education, Ong Ye Kung at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.

In celebration of skills excellence across a wide range of industries, nearly 250 of Singapore’s top youth talents will be pitting their skills against one another in this biennial national competition. This is a key programme in the month-long SkillsFuture Festival. With the theme “Our Skills, Our Future”, this year’s WSS 2018 recognises the diversity of talents that young Singaporeans possess, and highlights how we can secure a better future for ourselves through skills mastery and lifelong learning.

To reinforce the national focus on skills development, WSS 2018 has been enhanced to position it as a celebration of skills mastery for all. 

New Emerging and In-Demand Skill Areas Introduced

The 13th edition of this competition will showcase a dynamic demonstration of skills by our young talents across a wider range of areas. This year, nine new skills areas have been added, bringing the total number to 26. Some of these new skills areas, such as Cyber Security, Water Technology and Rapid Transit Systems, have been identified as emerging and in-demand skills that are key to Singapore’s future economy.

Expansion of Participation to all Singaporeans

For the first time, WSS 2018 will also be held at a public venue to widen its reach and enhance the promotion of skills excellence among Singaporeans. Twentythree of the skills areas will be at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre, with the remaining three held at ITE College Central. Over 20,000 visitors are expected at WSS 2018, including 12,000 secondary school students. The full list of skills areas and competition venues is in Annex A

As part of efforts to raise the profile of skills development among the wider community, this year’s competition will see participation by students from the Autonomous Universities (AUs) for the very first time. Together with competitors from ITE, the polytechnics and the industry, WSS 2018 will involve close to 250 competitors, a significant increase from the 150 competitors who took part in WSS 2016. 

Winners will receive Gold, Silver and Bronze Medals, together with Cash Awards of $3,000, $2,000 and $1,000 respectively.

WorldSkills Ambassadors Scheme

A new initiative, the WorldSkills Ambassadors Scheme, will be introduced to recognise past competitors who embody the spirit of skills mastery, and can act as advocates of skills mastery. This year, six WSS past competitors have been appointed as the pioneer batch of WorldSkills Ambassadors, and they will be reaching out to youths to inspire the pursuit of skills mastery through outreach activities and WSS events. 

Strengthening Education and Career Guidance

To support youths in discovering and developing their interests and strengths, WSS 2018 will also be used as a key platform to strengthen the delivery of Education and Career Guidance (ECG) to secondary school students, building upon the ECG efforts in schools. Students will have the opportunity to experience firsthand the excitement and intensity of the skills competition, and develop an appreciation of what it takes to achieve skills excellence. More importantly, they will learn about various industries through an interactive exhibition, as well as explore different education and career pathways through talks and workshops. Overall, this is a marked increase from the 5,000 students who attended WSS 2016. 

WSS 2018 will also be hosting the finals of the Drone Odyssey Challenge, organised by the Science Centre Singapore. Open to primary and secondary school students, this inaugural competition will see participants working together to perform coding and specified tasks with programmable drones.

Besides students, adults are also invited to participate in over 30 free workshops across five industry clusters on 7 July 2018 at the Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre. These workshops cater to diverse interests, from mobile phone photography and sushi making to fabric art making and digital animation creation. More information can be found at www.worldskills.sg/workshops. 

In addition, students and members of the public can download the MySkillsFuture mobile app for quick access to information on WSS 2018 and to help them navigate the event venue. The mobile app features interesting trivia and quizzes on the 26 skills competitions, as well as information on the ECG exhibitions, talks and workshops.

Strong Industry Involvement

WSS 2018 has attracted an increase in industry involvement, with 59 industry partners and educational institutions providing holistic skills learning experiences through interactive booths, skills workshops and talks for visitors. The event has also attracted over 50 sponsors in various categories. Their participation reflects the growing industry recognition and support of WSS, and its role in driving the national skills movement. The list of sponsors and industry partners are in Annex B and Annex C respectively. 

A Runway to the Global Stage

WSS 2018 winners in each skills area will have the opportunity to represent Singapore at the regional and international WorldSkills Competitions. The upcoming ASEAN Skills Competition will be in Bangkok, Thailand, in August 2018 and the next international WorldSkills Competition will be held in Kazan, Russia, in August 2019.

Mr Ng Cher Pong, Chairman of WorldSkills Singapore Council and Chief Executive of SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), said: “WorldSkills Singapore is an excellent platform for our youths to discover their passion, hone their skills, and celebrate skills mastery. With the expanded scope of WSS 2018, it is a key platform to raise the profile of skills mastery in Singapore, and highlight the role of skills in our economic transformation. The strong support from the industry also reflects the growing importance that they attach to the development and promotion of skills. I look forward to seeing more youths embark on their journey towards skills mastery.”

Awards Presentation at WSS Closing Ceremony on 10 Jul 2018

The results of WSS 2018 will be announced at the Closing Ceremony on Tuesday, 10 Jul 2018 at 10.00 am at Republic Polytechnic. Mr Chee Hong Tat, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Trade and Industry, will officiate at the Ceremony and present Certificates and Medallions to winners.