HK youth shine at ‘Skills Olympics’

The WorldSkills Competition took place in Lyon, France, in September. This year, the Construction Industry Council sent seven competitors to participate in six categories.

One of them was Wesley Fong, 20, who graduated from the Hong Kong Institute of Construction in 2022. He won the championship in the 2nd Hong Kong Construction Skills Competition last year, earning the qualification to compete as a finalist in joinery at the WorldSkills Competition, after training and assessment.

“It typically takes five to six years to train a competitor in other countries or regions, but we only had about one year, which necessitated intensive training and precise planning,” Mr Fong’s instructor, Hong Kong Institute of Construction Supervising Instructor Terence Lam explained.

“Initially, Wesley struggled with some of the skills, leaving him frustrated. We needed to push him, even scold him, but sometimes he just needed a bit of encouragement. As Wesley was willing to spend time on weekends to practise, of course we wanted to help him.”

Facing challenges

The 19 joinery trade competitors were required to carry out the requested project within 22 hours over four days. They were given a sketch and asked to create a one-to-one drawing. Working from the drawing, the joiner would measure and cut joints then assemble, install, and finish a door with its frame to a high standard.

Even with adequate preparation, Mr Fong admitted that the road to success did not come easy.

“I made some mistakes in the drawing and felt a little discouraged on the first night of the competition,” he said.

“The next day I made improvements, so I was able to make up for the mistakes and they did not affect me too much. When I saw the competitors next to me working so hard, I was inspired to raise my game.”

Mr Fong’s hard work paid off and he was awarded a medallion for excellence, an outcome he said he never anticipated. The final result has boosted his confidence and he is now determined to continue with a career in the construction industry.

Meanwhile, his instructor Mr Lam, who has been teaching for nearly 30 years, wishes to pass on his knowledge to his students and expressed hope for a sustainable industry.

Family skills

Ricky Chow, 22, also won a medallion for excellence at WorldSkills Lyon 2024 in welding - a skill taught to him by his father, which he was proud to showcase to the world.

Like Mr Fong, he made it on to the WorldSkills team after winning the Hong Kong Construction Industry Skills Competition last year.

The welding competitors had to complete four modules that involved working on carbon steel, a pressure vessel, aluminium and stainless steel within 18 hours. Mr Chow found welding the pressure vessel to be the most challenging task, as it required utilising all welding techniques to ensure it was watertight.

“Initially, most of my pressure vessels leaked, with only one or two being watertight. After practising for six months to a year, I gradually learnt the necessary techniques. Welding a pressure vessel is also physically demanding and time-consuming.”

But Mr Chow stayed focused and recalled his instructor’s advice to pull him through the tough moments of the competition.

“My instructor advised me to stick to my usual methods and once I completed all the modules, I would proceed to the stage where I could receive an award.”

Rigorous training

He missed out on the top three awards, but received a medallion for excellence. His instructor, Hong Kong Institute of Construction Instructor Charles Li attributed Mr Chow’s success to his perseverance.

“Despite training for only one year, compared to Ricky’s competitors from other places who trained for three to five years, he worked diligently. His schedule was demanding, training from 8am to 10pm, including weekends and public holidays.

“Ricky may not have been the most skilled of all the trainees, but he certainly was the most persistent. He was the only one to complete the training.”

Organised biennially by WorldSkills International, the WorldSkills Competition is the largest skills competition globally and hailed as the "Skills Olympics". This year, the Construction Industry Council sent seven competitors, with two winning medallions for excellence - achieving the best ever results by Hong Kong construction industry players.