Remarks for Minister for Education, Mr Chan Chun Sing at the Closing Ceremony of Worldskills ASEAN 2023

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Introduction

1. A very good evening to all of you. I am very happy to be here at the closing ceremony of the 13th WorldSkills ASEAN competition.

2. Singapore is honoured to host the competition for the first time. The competition has been delayed for three years due to the pandemic. Seeing more than 170 youths from around the region come together for the competition is a sign of our resilience and solidarity. It shows how we have emerged from the COVID-19 challenges stronger together.

3. To our ASEAN members, I extend a warm welcome and heartfelt gratitude for being an integral part of this event. Your participation has not only enriched the competition but also strengthened the friendship and collaboration among our nations and youths.

Investing in Skills Mastery

4. The theme of this year's competition is "Our Skills, Our Future". This is a simple but powerful message about how our collective future must be about the mastery of skills. For our economies and the ASEAN region to remain vibrant and competitive on the global stage, we must invest in developing the skills of our youths throughout life. For them to make a difference to their societies, we must equip them with the values and confidence to step forward as leaders, innovators and mentors.

5. Skills mastery is especially important in a future of work where the adoption of artificial intelligence and automation in the workplace is growing. Addressing the global challenge of climate change and facilitating the green transition for our industries will also require new skills.

6. The WorldSkills ASEAN competition supports this vision by bringing together our youths to showcase their technical skills and learn from their peers, cultivating their passion for their craft in pursuit of excellence.

1. Over the past few days, our talented youths competed with one another across 22 skills areas such as electronics, Internet-of-Things and rapid transit systems. Many of these skills are relevant to emerging growth areas in the ASEAN economies.
2. The competition tasks have also been updated to keep current with the workplace. For example, the automobile technology skills area now requires competitors to handle Electric Vehicles, in addition to the vehicles with traditional internal combustion engines. Competitors in the Mechanical Engineering Computer Aided Design (ME CAD) skills area previously used measuring tools and physically sketch their components. But now use 3D scanners to generate a more accurate sketch in half the time.
3. It is inspiring to see the determination and resilience of our youths as they tackled these challenging tasks at hand, developed new ideas and sharpened their skills in the process.
4. I would also like to congratulate all of you for having done your best at the competition, regardless of the results. Your dedication towards your skills and craft, and pursuit of excellence is an inspiration to all. I hope that your experience at WorldSkills ASEAN will spur you to greater heights.

Creating ASEAN Opportunities to Learn from One Another

7. The WorldSkills ASEAN competition also provides a platform to bring our youths together to learn from one another and cultivate a stronger appreciation of our diverse cultures.

8. ASEAN is one of the fastest-growing regions in the world. Our dynamism and growth potential have attracted significant global business interest, fuelling our economic growth in recent years. This has been enabled by strong regional cooperation and economic ties across our member states.

1. For ASEAN to continue flourishing, we must stay interconnected to leverage one another's competitive advantages and expand our regional business networks to harness new growth opportunities.
2. Developing these regional networks will not happen by chance. We must start with our youths and encourage them to get to know their ASEAN neighbours better through opportunities to learn and work in the region.

9. I am pleased to learn that last week, seven of our local secondary schools hosted our ASEAN delegates as part of their "One School One Country" programme. Each school hosted students from the nine WorldSkills member states, giving students a more immersive opportunity to interact with one another and experience different cultures. I hope our guests and students had a meaningful time and made new friends in the process.

Closing

10. In closing, even as we wrap up this year's competition, I am delighted to announce that the Philippines will be hosting the WorldSkills ASEAN 2025!

11. The Philippines will carry forward the torch of skills excellence and cultural exchange. I have no doubt that under their leadership, the next competition will reach new heights and further strengthen the bonds of friendship within our ASEAN community.

12. Finally, I would like to express our gratitude to the joint efforts of the participating delegates, experts, representatives and the organising committee for making WorldSkills ASEAN 2023 a resounding success.

1. My heartfelt appreciation goes to the WorldSkills ASEAN organising committee who has been working tirelessly behind the scenes, as well as esteemed delegates, participants and supporters for your strong support.
2. Our industry and education institutions deserve special mentions too for their commitment and support. Industry partners have sponsored the competition and provided industry-standard equipment to allow for an authentic learning experience. Regional industry experts have also come together to lend their expertise, ensuring that the skills competition is industry-relevant and maintained the highest level of skills standards. Throughout the process, education institutions also mentored and supported our youths.

13. Thank you to all who have made this WorldSkills ASEAN competition possible and once again, congratulations to all competitors and winners. All of you are winners.