WorldSkills Singapore 2012: The Heat is On!

By Ho Khin Wai, Year 2, Diploma in Banking & Financial Services

It is DAY TWO of the WorldSkills Singapore 2012 and I am here at ITE College West reporting to you about all that is happening today for the competition!

But first of all, let us find out how NYP fared in Day One…

Top 3 Competitors for Day 1 - IT Network Systems Administration

Top 4 Competitors for Day 1 – IT Software Solutions for Businesses

Day 2 was filled with much excitement and anticipation as competitors from each trade were given new tasks to work on. Today, I went around the competition venues to bring you the juiciest updates on the competitors.


Speaking about JUICY, let us take a sneak peek into the “Cooking” trade to see what the competitors have whipped up for the judges. 

Future chefs cooking up a storm!

After salivating (too much) over those delicious plates of steak, I left the competition arena in search of more exciting skills to cover.

At the main competition arena, competitors had already started on their individual tasks and had no time to lose. It was also heartening to see that our NYP competitors were all extremely focused on completing their tasks.

Mohammad Ariff and Ma Wai Cheung from NYP testing out the robot controls in the Mobile Robotics competition area

Jashen Low and Leroy Tang with their robot on the battlefield! The team had to engineer the robot so that it is able to pick up the respective coloured cans and deposit them at the other side with the corresponding colour.

According to one of the coaches for Mobile Robotics, the competitors had different strengths and were from various diplomas.  They needed to tap on these strengths so they can overcome new challenges in the competition.  Indeed, teamwork was very important to succeed.

Here’s Joey Ng representing NYP in Graphic Design Technology. Looking good!

At the Graphics Design Technology trade, I got the chance to speak with one of the Experts, Ms Amy Soon, who told me that the NYP competitors are from the School of Interactive and Digital Media (SIDM).  Much time and dedication were needed to train the students to be of competition standards. “Their fighting spirit is very high; they already know what they want in this competition and want to prove themselves to be the best”, said Ms Soon.

Two of NYP’s students – Yik Loong (left) and Kah Yooi busy with building a cabling network in “Information Network Cabling” competition area.

NYP students Zoe and Nadiah working on their display sets!

For second year Visual Communications student Zoe Lim, joining the WorldSkills Singapore 2012 was a great learning journey for her. Said Zoe, “I’ve learnt better time management from this whole experience as I really had to work within a tight schedule to finish my designs.”

Jason Soh and Elgin Lee (not pictured) from NYP

As I ventured around the competition grounds, I wondered what IT Network Systems Administration trade’s competitors do during the competition and so I asked one of the coaches.  To my surprise, I was told their task was equivalent to creating and managing a whole enterprise website and its internal systems in approximately six hours! During that period, they had to work on things like Information Security, VoIP, wireless networks and tons of codes! Kudos to them that they could manage all the stress and keep focused for hours.

I also found out that the coach for NYP for this competition area is Ms Viridis Liew, one of the ex-competitors (and ex-student of NYP!) of the WorldSkills Competition.  She even went on to the international stage to clinch the most prestigious Albert Vidal award in Helsinki, Finland in 2005!

Said Ms Liew, “Winning the award was never on my mind; I was just focused on doing my best to complete my task and let the results take care of themselves.” When asked about how she thought the students fared this year, she said, “They are good. Each of the competitors has his own different strengths and weaknesses. Right now, what they have to do is to cope well with the pressure and they will need to persevere through the finals. Nothing is impossible.”

Competitors at the “Beauty Therapy” competition area working on these pretty models

That concludes Day Two of WorldSkills Singapore 2012! I would like to wish all NYP competitors all the best in the finals on Day 3. The closing ceremony will be on the 11 July, with the results of the winners revealed. These winners will get to represent Singapore to compete in the international WorldSkills 2013 competition held in Leipzig, Germany! Go, Team NYP!

----------

	Khin Wai is an NYP Year 2 Banking and Financial Services student from School of Business Management (SBM). He started writing for NYP Portal in 2011 out of interest and was soon "addicted" to it. He has also written book reviews for Straits Times YA Classified. Besides writing, he loves singing and has performed for various events in NYP under NYP Soundcard.

WorldSkills Singapore 2012: The Battle of the Best

By Ho Khin Wai, Year 2, Diploma in Banking & Financial Services

Yesterday marked the start of WorldSkills 2012, where the strongest players from all polytechnics and ITE come together on one playing field to compete! In this grueling skill play, competitors find out that to succeed, they need to have not just technical competence, but also self-discipline, confidence and perseverance.  As one of NYP’s official bloggers for the event, I am honoured to bring you the key highlights of the event during competition days, as well as updates on NYP’s performance in the competition.

The competition was tough and intense. Upon reaching the competition grounds at 10am, I could feel how intense it was already. The competition arena reminded me of an examination hall with students furiously writing on their examination scripts. Every competitor seemed extremely focused and alert in the tasks they had to perform. In such an electrifying atmosphere, it is no wonder the competitors dare not lose their concentration. This is truly the battle of the best! 

In deep concentration…competitors from Electronics.

Facial, anyone? The Beauty Therapy competition area.

NYP competitor Jason Soh participating in IT Network Systems Administration.

Visual Merchandising competitors at work.

 NYP has 44 competitors taking part in WorldSkills Singapore. They will be competing in these skill areas:

Aircraft Maintenance
Chow Wei Li
Chua Zhi Hao

Caring (team event)
Gladys Aw Sin Yun & Audrey Foo Bao Yun
Yeo Min & Eri Farah TsuBoi

CNC Milling
Kannan S/O Ponnambalam

CNC Turning
Eunice Chia Siew Peng
Norman Soh Chi Keong

Electronics
Alton Low Jun Xiang
Tan Yong Chin

Graphic Design Technology
Muhammad Zaqeer Bin Mohd Radzi
Joey Ng Kai Woon

Information Network Cabling
Kong Kah Yooi
Lee Yik Loong
Muhammad Shaffie Bin Ariffin

IT Network Systems Administration
Cyrus Guo Xuhui
Elgin Lee Wei Sheng
Jason Soh
Kwek Ming Hong

IT Software Solutions for Business
Chia Wei Kang
Goh Jing Loon
Joshua Tan Jun Ming
Gwendoline Tan Wan Xin
David Jonathan Ten Chee Onn
Bernard Yip Mun Kit

Mechanical Engineering Design – CAD
Francis Goh Kim Swee
Muhammad Izzul Raimi B F
Siti Nabilah Binte Mohamed

Mechatronics (team event)
Chan Jun Wen & Leow Ying Jie
Dominic Tan Yuan Zhi & Chen Jia Yi
Jasper Tay Yi Xiang & Norman Chwee

Mobile Robotics (team event)
Jashen Low Kai Wen Jashen & Leroy Tang Yow Leong
Mohammad Ariff Mustaqim Bin Mohammad Yusofe & Ma Wai Cheung

Visual Merchandising
Zoe Lim Kai Ee
Nadiah Binte Mohamad

Web Design
Glenn Chee Jun Yuan
Chen Junsheng
Adrienna Quek Yan Ling

Keep a lookout for our blog, as we bring you more highlights.  I know things are going to get even more heated and exciting!

If you, too, would like to catch all the excitement and buzz, why not make a trip down to ITE College West this afternoon, and catch a glimpse of these young and talented competitors in action!

----------

	Khin Wai is an NYP Year 2 Banking and Financial Services student from School of Business Management (SBM). He started writing for NYP Portal in 2011 out of interest and was soon "addicted" to it. He has also written book reviews for Straits Times YA Classified. Besides writing, he loves singing and has performed for various events in NYP under NYP Soundcard.

UNIT 12: Unrated

Graduating students from NYP’s School of Design marked their graduation in style with a public showcase of their works at the National Library Building.

The graduation showcase, entitled “UNIT 12: Unrated”, was held from 21 to 24 March and featured works from students studying Industrial Design, Space & Interior Design and Visual Communication. Various award-winning designs were featured as well. 

Also on display were works intended for industry partners like Yamaha, Billabong and Hewlett-Packard (HP).


The showcase gave graduands the opportunity to market themselves to potential employers. All graduands were given their own booths to display their works, with their photos and contact information displayed prominently on the backdrop.

Members of the public learn more about the designers and their works.

Graduands were given the leeway to showcase their best works, and they were on hand to explain their works to visitors. Most of them had business cards on hand so that they could network with potential employers or clients.

Industry-Driven Training For an Industry at a Crossroads
The event was opened by Mr Edward Ho, Deputy Principal/Development for NYP, on 21 March.

Mr Lee Youn Kay (extreme left) and Mr Edward Ho (extreme right) viewing the exhibits on display.

Mr Lee Youn Kay, Director for the School of Design, said that UNIT 12 allowed graduands to showcase the portfolio they developed as part of the studies in  NYP. UNIT 12 also gave graduands the opportunity to market  their designs, and to demonstrate their creative and innovative ideas to the industry,  their family members and the general public.

He also advised students to constantly keep an open mind as they venture forward, either in the working world or through further studies, so that they can continue to build upon their knowledge and skills and capitalise on the growing design industry.

“It’s a very exciting time to go into design, “he said, “Singapore is at the  crossroads where the East meets with the West, where Western design thinking could merge with the strong traditions and cultures of the East. There are many opportunities to synergize the two.”

Graduands of the Highest Calibre
Mr Christopher Lim, an Industrial Design Manager at Hewlett Packard Inkjet and Web Solution Group, spoke highly of the NYP graduands his team worked with.

NYP graduand and former intern at HP, Shawn Toh (left) explains his designs to Christopher Lim (right).

“At HP we groom only the best,” he said, “The students have performed very well and they have the right skill sets.”

He also commended their exemplary attitude and excellent work ethic. He said that he was impressed with the NYP students he received since the collaboration started in 2010.

“It’s one of the best polys,” he said, “They have a good grasp of design and can meet industry demands.” He added that the quality meets or exceeds the works produced in some undergraduate design programmes.

Great Education, Great Memories
Nora Fong was one of the lucky NYP students to serve an internship with HP. She will be graduating with a Diploma in Industrial Design in May and was grateful for the opportunities and training she received at NYP.

“The courses are industry-related and we learn a lot of practical stuff,” she said, “We are taught how to market our designs and it is very easy to apply what we have learnt. This makes it easy for companies to employ us.”

Nora with her award-winning design for Cebien, a leading provider of shower systems in Korea.

This award-winning graduand found the exhibition to be a bittersweet moment. Even though she feels proud to display the works she completed at NYP, she will miss her friends and lecturers.

“It was very tough at the beginning but after a while, things became easier. I feel like I don’t want to graduate. I have lots of friends here and we usually spend more time on campus than at home, so after a while they become like family,” she said.

For more photos, visit the gallery on facebook.

NYP Sweeps Packaging Awards

NYP Students show off their hardware - in a record-breaking performance by NYP’s School of Design, students clinched 13 local and 9 international awards.

NYP’s School of Design had good reason to celebrate at this year’s Singapore Packaging Star and AsiaStar Award presentation ceremony for it was best performance ever.

NYP students were presented their awards on the 10 Feb at the Sheraton Tower.  This year, 13 students bagged the Singapore Packaging Star Award and 9 students won the Asia Star Packaging, up from 9 and 7 winners respectively last year.

The winners were selected by an eminent panel of judges from the packaging industry. Awardees received a glass trophy and certificate in packaging excellence from the Asian Packaging Federation.

The Asia Star Awards is the only regional packaging award of its kind and is considered the “Packaging Oscars of Asia”. 

Award-winning NYP students with their lecturers and members of the Packaging Council of Singapore.
NYP students competed with countries such as Thailand, China and Japan.

Joseph Toh,  a Year 3 student in Visual Communication, won the Asia Star Award for “Hana” – an eco friendly jewellery box made from 100%  recycled materials. He said he felt deeply honoured to win the award and he feels that it will help him when he graduates.

“Hana” by Joseph Toh.  Joseph initially wanted to build something based on a shoe locker but he altered his approach when he discovered the technical difficulties of trying to build a suitable mould. He eventually settled on a sophisticated and feminine design targeted towards Japanese women. Hana’s eco-friendly packaging was made from 100% recycled materials obtained from factories.

Melinda Tan, a Year 3 student in Visual Communication who received the Singapore Star Award, agreed. She said the award served as a platform for her to showcase her abilities to future employers.

Melinda Tan’s Jack Daniel’s packaging. Melinda Tan’s winning creation was the fruit of research she conducted at convenience stalls. She initially contemplated working on a bottle she found at a 7-11 before settling on a bottle she bought at Pasir Ris.

Both recipients were surprised when informed of their wins.

Joseph was in China undergoing his internship when he received an e-mail from his lecturer informing him of his win.

Melinda Tan received the news during class, when her lecturer, Ms Lee Soo Cheng, announced it out of the blue. “I was very excited!” She said.

“But when I told my sister, she wasn’t very excited,” she says with a laugh, “but my mum and dad were. Especially my dad, because when I had trouble nailing some parts together, he gave me a hand, so he was happy to see me win”.

Both recipients also said that their wins will give them more exposure and a distinct advantage when they graduate. They also relished the opportunity to see what the rest of industry is producing by exposing themselves to other award-winning works.

Joseph (left) and Melinda (centre) speaking to Dedrick (right) from Discover NYP.

Joseph said, “We get to experience first-hand the standards of the packaging industry, so we can learn from it while looking towards other winners as role-models.”

Both award winners were also quick to thank their lecturers for their help. Melinda said, “They were very patient and they made sure everything we did is correct and alright.”

Joseph agreed, “They guided us through all our ups and downs.”

A selection of the winning NYP packaging is on display at the School of Design.

Want to see more? Check out the facebook photo album here!