Students from Taiwan Tech, including Wei-Cheng Lai, Guan-Wei Liu, Yong-Jie Fu, Hong-Xiang Xue, Jian-Kai Liao, Yuan-Zhen Jiang, and Ming-Zhe Wu, have showcased outstanding abilities and won a total of 1 gold, 4 silver, and 1 bronze at the 2023 Worldskills Asia Competition.

They are also preparing to face global technical players in Lyon, France, in September 2024. The team hopes to leverage the experience and skills accumulated during the competition to continue their success in the upcoming year, raising the Taiwanese flag high on the international stage.

The Worldskills Asia Competition is known as the "Technical Asian Games". This year, there were more than 100 contestants from 14 countries, including Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, and Taiwan. Wei-Cheng Lai, a student from the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering at Taiwan Tech, secured a gold medal in the Business Software Design category, triumphing over top-notch competitors in Asia. He explained that business software design involves meeting customer needs from scratch, covering system development, database construction, web programming, software design, and apps. Wei-Cheng Lai humbly mentioned that besides daily accumulation and on-the-spot reactions, luck also plays a significant role. He believes that being a national player is a mission and responsibility, dedicating himself to practice without any

leisure or entertainment. Having completed the first stage of their mission, the team is now moving forward towards the second stage—the international skills competition.

Wei-Cheng Lai (middle), a student from the Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering at Taiwan Tech, emerged victorious over strong opponents from Indonesia and Malaysia, winning the gold medal in the Business Software Design category at the WorldSkills Asia Competition.

In the realm of Information and Network Technology, Hong-Xiang Xue, a student studying without a declared major, won the silver medal. He mentioned that the preparation time was extremely tight. Consequently, he focused on practicing two of his strong suits to near perfection and devoted sleepless nights to practice the unfamiliar topic just before the competition, ensuring that he had no regrets. Hong-Xiang Xue had not anticipated winning a medal for Taiwan before the competition and was pleasantly surprised at the moment of victory. He humorously remarked that the preparation period felt like "inhuman life," and overcoming the "loneliness" was the most crucial lesson. Spending prolonged hours facing computer screens and various problem types could easily lead to fatigue, making it essential to overcome psychological barriers and enhance stress resistance and concentration.

Hong-Xiang Xue, a student without a declared major, mentioned that in the Information and Network Technology category, each stage of the competition required maintaining focus for a lengthy period of 5 hours. The rigorous training beforehand paid off as he secured the silver medal at the WorldSkills Asia Competition.

Guan-Wei Liu, a student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, earned a silver medal for Taiwan in CAD Mechanical Design and Drawing in his first international competition. He mentioned that the competition at the WorldSkills Asia Competition was extensive and diverse, testing problem-solving speed. During the preparation period, he specifically strengthened his weakness in "physical mapping." The pre- competition training also allowed him to achieve the highest score in the physical mapping category. Guan-Wei Liu expressed gratitude to the training team, instructors, and family for their support. He pointed out that this competition experience helped him understand the strengths and weaknesses of participants from various countries, enabling him to reevaluate his training strategy and make the best preparations for the international skills competition.

Liu Guan-Wei (left) from the Department of Mechanical Engineering proudly won the silver medal in CAD Mechanical Design and Drawing, joyfully taking a photo with his instructor Yong-Zheng Chen (right).

Yong-Jie Fu, a senior majoring in Computer Science and Information Engineering and the silver medalist in the Web Technology category, values self-discipline and self-directed learning. "When feeling nervous, I must always do my best in what needs to be done," he said. During his preparation, he spent each day accompanied by PHP, HTML, CSS, and software design. Emphasizing a balance between work and relaxation, Fu mentioned that when he wanted to relax, he would create web pages for entertainment, not only to relax but also to practice his skills. With an outgoing and optimistic personality, Yong-Jie Fu thoroughly enjoyed the competition atmosphere, where everyone focused on overcoming challenges and worked towards a common goal. Having participated in over 10 major skills competitions to date, the 2024 International Skills Competition will mark Fu Yong-Jie's final battle as a competitor. He hopes to showcase his skills and bring honor to Taiwan.

Yong-Jie Fu, a fourth-year student majoring in Computer Science and Information Engineering, focused on solving problems on the competition field and eventually clinched the silver medal in the Web Technology category.

Jian-Kai Liao, a student from the Department of Design, decided to take a leave of absence upon learning that he was selected as a national representative in Graphic Design Technology. He attended the referee school to practice and refine previous test questions. In order to strengthen his weak point in packaging structure, he even underwent a month of training at a packaging company. During the training period, he couldn't help but feel a sense of disappointment when seeing classmates share their rich campus lives. He said, "I kept telling myself not to regret the direction I chose. If exchanging one year for different life experiences, I believe it would be the bravest and most valuable decision in university life". Jian-Kai Liao acknowledged the responsibility and duty that came with the title of "national representative" and achieved a silver medal on the international competition stage through strength and perseverance. He also advised his junior students, "Think carefully, be brave to try, don't fear any path of change. As long as your heart is firm, you will eventually find the right path."

Jian-Kai Liao from the Department of Design secured the silver medal in the Graphic Design Technology category.

Robotics is a rare competition category in skill competitions that requires teamwork. This year, it was a collaborative effort between Yuan-Zhen Jiang and Ming-Zhe Wu, both freshmen without declared majors, who together won the bronze medal. Ming-Zhe Wu and Yuan-Zhen Jiang were classmates in junior high school. Initially, it was Yuan-Zhen Jiang who had an interest in the field of robotics and invited Ming-Zhe Wu to join.

They have been partners for over 4 years and competed in numerous competitions, both big and small, since high school. Yuan-Zhen Jiang shared that while winning the bronze medal, he wasn't entirely satisfied and would continue to strengthen his weaknesses. Ming-Zhe Wu also advised that if someone is interested in the field of robotics, it may require immense passion. Sacrificing leisure time to delve into mechanisms, software, and circuits, and experiencing setbacks during practice is part of the journey. However, he emphasized not giving up easily due to setbacks. Currently, they maintain great enthusiasm for robotics and are setting their sights on the 2024 International Skills Competition with the goal of winning gold.

Yuan-Zhen Jiang and Ming-Zhe Wu continued to work hard to pursue their passion for robotics and recently secured the bronze medal at the WorldSkills Asia Competition.