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Singapore has done it again this year - won Medals at the international showcase of skills - the 37th World Skills Competition (WSC). And its ranking of 7th position is the nation’s best-ever, since it took part in the competition in 1995.

The twelve-competitor Singapore team won two Golds, one Silver, one Bronze and five Diplomas at the 37th WSC, which was held in St Gallen, Switzerland, from 19 to 22 June 2003. The team took part in a range of skills areas, such as CNC Milling, Information Technology and Restaurant Service.

Climbing Up the Skills Ladder
More than 600 competitors from 36 countries took part in the competition, which featured 38 skills areas.

When Singapore first took part in the WSC, which was held in Lyon, France, in 1995, the nation clinched 16th position. Every subsequent participation in the competition showed Singapore climbing up the ranking ladder.

Said Dr Law Song Seng, Director & CEO, ITE, and Chairman of the National Steering Committee on Skills Competitions: “Improving our ranking in St Gallen, Switzerland, is yet another significant achievement for Singapore, especially when we are a relatively smaller team compared with many other countries. On the other hand, we have been able to learn and build on our accumulated experiences.”

He added: “The consistently high standards our team has set in the World Skills Competitions have raised the image of Singapore in the international arena. Our achievements reflect well on our people, national education, and training systems and organisations.”

Staying Calm in the Face of Intense Pressure
What gave competitors the edge in an international competition such as the WSC, where they faced intense pressure from their technically-strong opponents, who hailed from countries like Korea, Japan, Austria and Germany?

For the competitors, being calm and consistent throughout the competition is the key to success. Said Eugene Chow, Gold Medallist for IT - PC & Network Support: “I remembered what our team pyschologist, Dr Edgar Tham taught us - which is to focus on on the processes, rather than the results. I believe that by focusing on the processes, the results will take care of themselves.”

For Mechatronics duo, Lim Zhun Kiat and Jackson Ng, staying calm and focused during the course of the competition was vital. Explained Zhun Kiat: “In our competition area, we were ranked according to how well we do, so we knew exactly how we fared for each day of the competition. The ranking system has given us added stress, but at the same time, it motivated us to do even better. I guess what we’d learnt was to remain calm no matter how tense we were, and to work at a fast and accurate pace. We also learnt to relax and unwind too, at the end of each day.”