Hong Kong vocational students reap rewards of WorldSkills Competition as platform to showcase talents, win medals
- Childhood passion for cars leads Youth College student to world prize and a job
- Youngsters not keen on academic subjects find satisfaction by learning skills
Li Kam-hung never imagined that his childhood fascination with cars would one day lead him to a job and first prize in a global competition.
The 20-year-old came out on top in the Sustainable Practice Award for car painting at the WorldSkills Competition – a biennial championship of vocational skills – in Kazan, Russia, last August.
Hong Kong sent a team of 24 to the tournament, which attracted more than 1,300 competitors from more than 60 countries and regions.
Apart from Li, 13 others brought home a total of 11 Medallions for Excellence in skills ranging from hairdressing to electrical installations. Among them were Ben Law Siu-leung and his teammate, Ricky Lee Wai-kit, both 21, who won a Medallion for Excellence for mobile robotics.
Last year’s haul of prizes was Hong Kong’s biggest since it began sending teams to the world event in 1997. The next competition will be held in Shanghai in September next year.
