Mentors help S'pore youth prepare for 'Olympics of vocational skills' in France

The coaches are past participants able to shed light on what competition entails

- Elisha Tushara

Ms Shuner Villanueva Leong remembers bursting into tears when she was handed a Singapore flag and told to join two other competitors on stage for the announcement of the winners at the WorldSkills competition in London in 2011.

"They announced the winner for bronze, and then the winner for silver, but my name still hadn't been called yet. I cried even more!" said Ms Leong, 34.

A beauty therapy student at the time, she became the first participant from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) to win a gold medal. She was also Singapore's first gold medal winner in beauty therapy at the international competition, which is often called the Youth Olympics of vocational skills.

Ms Leong, who became an ITE lecturer in 2015 after attaining a diploma in beauty therapy, now trains students for the WorldSkills contest.

The biennial competition, held in different countries every edition, challenges young people to show their vocational skills in categories such as creative arts and fashion, construction and building technology, information and communication technology, and transportation and logistics.

Contestants are usually no older than 23.

Apart from the global event, the competition is also held at the regional and national levels.

In September, 35 young people from ITE, polytechnics and SBS Transit will represent Singapore in 30 skill areas at the 47th WorldSkills competition in Lyon, France, to be held from Sept 10 to 15.

This is the biggest team Singapore is sending to the global event since its maiden participation in 1995.

The Republic's representatives include winners at the local and regional WorldSkills competitions.

Among them is Ms Christine Huang, 20, a first-year beauty and wellness management diploma student at ITE College East.

She will compete in the same category as Ms Leong, who has been helping with her preparations.