Thumbs up: Cheng (fourth from left) with instructors, alongside Goh, Shu Hang and Chee Ren (third, fifth and sixth from left, respectively).
WINNING an award on the global stage once seemed like a faraway dream to Lee Shu Hang and Goh Jia Weng – but it became reality recently.
When they set out to take part in the 2025 World Vocational College Skills Competition (International Category), the technical and vocational education and training (TVET) students from VTAR Institute brought with them a spirit of learning and exploration, never imagining they would emerge with an accolade.
Their performance delivered results, as they and their teams – which included students from Quzhou College of Technology (QCT) in Zhejiang, China – were named award winners in their respective categories in November 2025.
In the Materials category, Shu Hang, along with Lee Chee Ren from VTAR and Li Junjie from QCT, secured the Silver Award.
In the Automotive Manufacturing and Maintenance category, Goh, together with Chow Kar Chun from VTAR and Zhu Dong from QCT, picked up the Bronze Award.
Expressing pride in his successful outing, Shu Hang said he felt both nervous and excited participating in an international competition abroad for the first time.
He added that winning the award enabled him to gain a deeper appreciation for the value of perseverance and hard work.
Meanwhile, Goh shared that his prior experience pursuing the New Energy Vehicle programme at QCT motivated him to join the competition, with the aim of deepening his understanding of new energy principles and maintenance techniques.
Both students, who look forward to challenging themselves through future competitions, credited QCT instructors for their guidance.
Shu Hang said despite the challenges, he was able to build on the fundamentals and complete the competition tasks under the instructors’ guidance.
Goh added that through the experience, he not only mastered key new energy vehicle maintenance skills but also gained greater confidence.
VTAR Institute chief executive officer Tan Cheng Liang said the achievement marked the institute’s first joint participation in an international skills competition with a China institution.
“QCT provided support throughout the preparation period, including sponsoring the students’ air tickets to China, where they underwent several days of intensive training and took part in video recordings.
“This enabled them to focus fully on preparing for the event, which brought together skilled talents from multiple countries.
“The experience was not only a test of technical expertise and time management, but also a valuable journey of cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary learning and personal growth,” she said in a press release.
Tan further shared that since November 2024, VTAR has arranged three batches of students to participate in exchange programmes in China.
“With the support of QCT, students received scholarship placements and took part in short-term courses related to industrial robotics and new energy vehicles.
“In September 2025, leaders from QCT paid a return visit to VTAR, during which both parties engaged in further discussions to deepen and expand future collaboration,” she said.
Looking ahead, Tan said VTAR plans to arrange a fourth batch of students to participate in a short-term study programme in China in April.
“In addition, VTAR intends to collaborate with QCT’s photography and videography programmes, enabling students from beauty, hairdressing and bakery courses to pursue further studies in China,” she added.
She expressed hope that students would keep pace with developments in the self-media era by acquiring diverse, cross-disciplinary skillsets, thereby enhancing their future employability and competitiveness in the workforce.
The Online Finals of the 2025 World Vocational College Skills Competition (International Category), held at QCT last July, drew 1,446 competitors from 73 countries, representing 434 teams competing across 38 professional skill tracks.
The joint representative team from VTAR and QCT participated in three categories: Materials, Automotive Manufacturing and Maintenance, and Mechanical Design and Manufacturing. The VTAR team comprised seven students from its electrical and electronic programmes.
