Speech by Ms Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State for Education at Closing Ceremony of Worldskills Singapore 2023, at Institute of Technical Education College West

Members of the WorldSkills Singapore Council

WorldSkills Singapore Officials and Competitors

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

1. A very good afternoon to all of you. It's an exciting day for our students. You have worked hard and trained for very long for the various skills areas. To the award winners, I want to congratulate you for having come so far.

2. WorldSkills Singapore is the pinnacle national platform that brings together our youths from across the Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs) to showcase their skills and learn from their peers.

1. More than 120 youths competed in 12 skills areas, including in-demand skills such as Information Technology, Mobile Robotics and Rapid Transit Systems.
2. We are here today to celebrate your achievements, which are made possible through the strong support of our IHLs and industry partners.

3. Lifelong learning rests on strong foundational skills and values such as the willingness to learn and perseverance.

1. Developing a strong foundation in our youths will put them in good stead to learn, adapt and upskill when they join the workforce.
2. As the pace of technological disruptions accelerates, continual skills upgrading is even more important. And I often hear that from the industries and companies.
3. To empower our youths in their skills development journey, we must continue to strengthen three areas.

4. First, strengthening the nexus between industry and education.

1. Our IHLs and employers must work closely together to enable this.
   1. For example, creating a feedback loop between industry and our IHLs can facilitate the signalling of in-demand skills and development of industry-relevant curriculum. With technological advancements, many of the skills that you are learning today will need to be updated; maybe in five years' time or even less, depending on the industry or sector that you are joining.
   2. WorldSkills Singapore has adapted to the needs of the economy, with the testing of in-demand skills areas such as Information Technology, Mobile Robotics and Rapid Transit Systems, developed in collaboration with industry.

5. Second, strengthening employer support for lifelong learning.

1. Employers play a key role in creating a culture and environment that supports their employees in upskilling.
   1. There are many ways that employers can do so, such as structured workplace learning, making time for employees to attend training, and skills-based HR practices in the workplace to recognise new and enhanced skillsets. This will motivate employees to go for training and upskilling.
2. Our youths would also benefit from employer's mentorship in the early years of their career.
   1. It is thus heartening to witness the dedication of our industry experts in mentoring our youths for this competition.
   2. Mr Poh Chin Poh from Singapore Polytechnic was formerly a WorldSkills participant in 2003. He did Singapore proud and was awarded the Medallion of Excellence for Industrial Control. Apart from contributing as an industry expert for more than a decade, he is also mentoring the next generation of skills masters.
3. Today, we have more than 100 industry partners such as AEM, Festo and Panduit supporting this event. I really hope that the years to come, many more industries and companies will come on board to recognise the skills of our students in our IHLs and perhaps even provide scholarship, internship and upgrading opportunities, so that our youths can be more inspired and encouraged to upskill themselves.
4. To all mentors and industry partners who have contributed to the success of this competition, thank you for your unwavering commitment to skills mastery and for serving as role models for our youths.

6. Third, strengthening ownership of individual skills mastery.

1. Skills, attitudes and dispositions are developed across a lifetime. Ultimately, our youths must take charge of their own skills development journey.
2. Many of you here today have invested significant time and effort to master your skills. It is heartening to see your determination and resilience. I would like to share the stories of two inspiring individuals.
3. Muhammad Hafiz and his teammate represented Republic Polytechnic to compete in the Rapid Transit Systems skills area. Despite being dyslexic, Hafiz is not deterred. He believes that "the darker it gets, the brighter it shines", as his former principal at Northlight School used to say. To prepare for the competition, Hafiz interned at ST Engineering in 2020, and trained with SMRT and SBS Transit.
4. Winnie Leow from ITE College East competed in the Information Network Cabling skills area and believes that she can excel in this male dominated industry too. She trained while juggling part-time work for close to two years and did a 10-week industry attachment to deepen her competency.

7. I am very encouraged when I see our youths doing their best and chieving their goals. I hope to see more youths in our IHLs share similar success stories.

8. I would like to congratulate our youths who have trained hard for the competition.

1. All of you are here today because you have excelled in your skills.
2. I encourage you to continue to hone your skills to greater mastery. Your endeavours will be an inspiration to many more Singaporeans.

9. I am also excited to share that Singapore will be hosting the 13th WorldSkills ASEAN for the first time this July in Suntec City. There will be close to 250 regional competitors, and I'm sure that our Team Singapore is ready!

1. To the contingent representing Singapore, I encourage you to seize this opportunity to forge new friendships, learn from your peers in the region and challenge yourselves.
2. We are proud of your achievements, regardless of the results.

10. I wish everyone the very best in your future endeavours, and may you continue to strive for excellence in all that you do.

11. Thank you.