Secretary for Education Choi Yuk-lin yesterday witnessed the Hong Kong, China delegation’s triumph at WorldSkills Lyon 2024 in Lyon, France, where they took four medals: one gold, one silver and two bronze.

 
The delegation comprised 37 skilled competitors from various Hong Kong institutions. They participated in 32 competitions at the event, known as the “Skills Olympics”, from September 10 to 15. 

 
Chan Wing-ki won a gold medal in Visual Merchandising, while Yiu Ho-man won a silver medal in Pâtisserie & Confectionery. Wong Fu-tung and Wan Ka-chi won bronze medals in Aircraft Maintenance and Cloud Computing, respectively.

 
The delegation also won medallions for excellence in 10 competition trades – namely 3D Digital Game Art, Bakery, Fashion Technology, Graphic Design Technology, Information Network Cabling, Joinery, Mechatronics, Mobile Applications Development, Restaurant Service & Welding – and one for excellence in a demonstration trade, namely Rail Vehicle Technology.

 
Ms Choi attended the event’s closing ceremony. She witnessed the Hong Kong, China delegation being presented with their prizes, and interacted with the contestants. 

 
She praised the team for their outstanding achievements, noting that this year they secured Hong Kong’s best set of results, and highest number of awards, in any WorldSkills Competition to date. She said the Hong Kong contestants had performed at their best and fully demonstrated the talent and perseverance of the city’s youth. 

 
The education chief added that the Government, industry, and vocational and professional education and training (VPET) institutions, will continue to work together to nurture VPET talent, providing pathways to success and contributing strong impetus for Hong Kong’s development.

 
At their meeting with Ms Choi, the contestants said VPET had not only helped them to acquire professional skills, industry knowledge and soft skills, but also benefitted them through diverse learning, exchange and internship opportunities.
 

The contestants also noted that the competition had helped to refine their time management and problem-solving abilities, and taught them to stay calm when facing challenges.
 

They added that the event had allowed them to interact with others from around the world to enhance their skills and broaden their knowledge of new industry trends. 

 
The education chief will continue her visit to Lyon today, before departing for Toulouse to attend the European Association for International Education Conference & Exhibition.