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.

Next generation: Ricky Chow won a medallion for excellence at WorldSkills Lyon 2024 in welding - a skill taught to him by his father, which he is proud to showcase to the world. Source from news.gov.hk

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.

Overcoming challenges: Wesley Fong represented Hong Kong to compete in joinery at the WorldSkills Competition and was awarded a medallion for excellence. Source from news.gov.hk

“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.”

Winning attitude: Hong Kong Institute of Construction Instructor Charles Li (right) attributes Mr Chow’s success to his perseverance. Source from news.gov.hk

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.

Intensive training: Hong Kong Institute of Construction Supervising Instructor Terence Lam (left) says Mr Fong had far less time to train compared to his competitors. Source from news.gov.hk

Autonomous driving technology is advancing rapidly, with the potential to boost traffic efficiency and improve road safety. To promote the technology in Hong Kong, the Transport Department has issued six autonomous vehicle pilot licences since 2024, allowing operators to conduct road tests in designated areas.

The first licence was granted to an intelligent driving technology company with more than a decade of experience in autonomous driving research and development. The firm has deployed its technology in 22 cities, spanning the Mainland and the United Arab Emirates.

The first licensed technology company has conducted road tests in North Lantau, Cyberport and the Kai Tak Development Area, achieving more than 80,000km of safe driving.

Since receiving its licence in November 2024, the company has been testing across North Lantau, Cyberport and the Kai Tak Development Area. By utilising vehicle-mounted sensors, the company has collected data over more than 80,000km of safe driving.

Last month, the company began conducting cross-district tests in Kwun Tong and Kowloon City. Despite the high density of both vehicles and pedestrians in urban areas, the autonomous vehicles have maintained steady speeds, signalled and overtaken safely, and have even made smooth U-turns on narrow roads with the help of algorithms.

During the tests, a driver remains onboard as a backup operator, only taking control of the vehicle when necessary. The vehicles have typically operated with the driver's hands off the wheel during routine travel.

During testing, drivers keep their hands off the steering wheel and only take control of the vehicle when necessary.

System optimisation

The company’s Hong Kong Project Development Manager Nick Lau explained that as one of the most densely networked cities in the world, Hong Kong has complex and dynamic road conditions. The system has been optimised to comply with local traffic rules.

"Hong Kong is a right-hand-drive market. Our system has to fine-tune driving actions like stopping, overtaking and picking lanes so the vehicles handle right-side driving accurately. Second, there are conventional and spiral roundabouts in Hong Kong, which are different from those in other places. With strict traffic guidelines in play, our system has to learn these details to avoid any risks or violations,” he said.

Mr Lau also highlighted the challenges posed by unique traffic signals and temporary signs, such as hand-operated “Stop” and “Go” ones, which make recognition more difficult.

"We are continuing to fine-tune our machine-learning models to improve precision in these situations," he added.

Intelligent Driving Technology Company Hong Kong Project Development Manager Nick Lau says the system has been optimised to comply with local traffic rules and conditions.

Technological advancements

Transport Department Electrical & Mechanical Engineer (Autonomous Vehicle) Ken Tang said that testing has progressed smoothly, with all vehicles maintaining stable performance.

Among the trials, the tests in North Lantau have achieved significant technological progress in four key areas: scaling the trials from a single vehicle to 10 vehicles operating simultaneously; designated passenger-carrying trials; expanded test area; and higher speeds.

"Trial routes for autonomous vehicles have steadily expanded, progressing beyond Airport Island to more complex highways and diverse communities. As the autonomous driving system has improved, vehicle speeds have gradually increased up to 50km per hour, depending on the posted speed limits of the relevant test sections," he said.

Transport Department Electrical & Mechanical Engineer (Autonomous Vehicle) Ken Tang (right) says the tests in North Lantau have achieved four key breakthroughs: multi-vehicle operation, designated passenger-carrying trials, expanded test area and higher speeds.

The Transport Department has issued six pilot licences, covering 62 autonomous private cars and light buses being tested in various trial areas.

This year, it will progressively implement driverless operation of autonomous vehicles using only remote backup operators.

Based on the regular reports submitted by autonomous vehicle pilot operators, the department said it will review testing performance and safety, and require operators to conduct strict vehicle inspections to ensure the tests are performed in a safe and orderly manner.