Lee Hee Dong

Champions Trust Regional Representative for Asia


When did you know that your skill lit a spark in you that other professions didn't?
When I completed my first task on a CNC milling machine in high school. Even though it was worthless piece of metal and everyone laughed at it, for me it seemed to be shining brighter than anything I had ever seen At the moment, I thought I would love this.

What is your favourite WorldSkills memory?
The exchange of pins from different countries during the Competition. When I first got my accreditation lanyard on day 1, there was nothing on it. When I arrived in Sao Paulo I did not know any of the competitors from other countries, but day-by-day the more pins I got, the more friendly we all became. At the end my lanyard was full of pins and full of friends. I keep this reminder of the experience and friendships in my house.  
 
Why is being part of WorldSkills important after your competition is over?
When my Competition just finished I had thought that there would be no more WorldSkills in my life but after I got a job and started working I realized more and more how great it is to have friends all over the world who have the same job as me and struggle to make world better by skills through WorldSkills we can be conneted, we can make synergy and we can achieve everything
 
What would you tell your 12-year-old self about your future?
You are going to achieve so much. I’m so proud of you. Don’t forget to take time to relax and look up the sky. When you turn your head, there will be good friends around you such as Champions trust. So don’t worry and enjoy the moment.
And one more thing! You decide to apply Champions Trust. It will be one of the best decisions of your life.
 
What do you want senior policy makers to know about skilled jobs and skilled professionals?
We all know how important skilled jobs and professionals are in various fields. Unfortunately if you ask any student on the street to tell you as many skills as they knows, they may not be able to tell you very many.

To train more skilled professionals, we need to provide young people with vocational experiences in various fields. I think WorldSkills could be the first step as a place where they can find their talents and enthusiasm for them to become skilled professionals.