The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
Dave Chou of Hyundai Las Piñas will represent the Philippines at the 14th World Skills Olympics in October in South Korea where regional winners from over 70 countries coming from Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, Middle East and Latin America are expected to attend.
Chou, a 36-year-old and 7-year veteran at the Chiongbian Groups’ Hyundai Las Pinas outlet, won the recently concluded 2023 Hyundai Technician Skills Championship. This is Chou’s first appearance and win, but his peers and trainers regard it not as luck but rather fruits of his diligence and hard work.
This is the first year under the management of the Hyundai Motor Philippines (HMPH) and was participated in by 12 technicians from 30 Hyundai dealer in the country.
The HTSC aims to promote transformative education that serves as a means to further develop both their technical skills, competence when it comes to engineering advancements, and customer-care excellence, and sense of duty as a changemaker in daily business operations. It also acknowledges the country’s top talents and provides them an opportunity to shine in the international stage.
Last February, 38 candidates underwent a series of online courses through the Hyundai Training Academy (HTA) portal. The number was pruned down to 12 where the actual contest took place on April 14 at the NYK Sto. Tomas, Batangas.
The qualifiers were divided into three groups of four individuals for the multi-round event. They worked on HMPH’s new subcompact crossover SUV, the Creta, and were evaluated based on three diagnostic areas – Engine, Electrical, and Chassis. Within specified time limits, each had to successfully analyze and trouble-shoot the designated units.
Hyundai president Dongwook Lee and managing director Cecil Capacete, were joined by ASEAN regional headquarters technical training manager Ngoi Chee Hien in awarding the prizes to the winners.
“Today is a very significant occasion for HMPH as we are highlighting one of the key commitments of the Hyundai brand to its Filipino customers which is providing an exceptional and holistic car ownership experience,” Cecil Capacete said.