From unexpected setbacks to breakthrough performances, the five-day WorldSkills Jamaica and Studica Robotics Invitational Training Camp challenged Jamaican competitors Antonio Rolong and Omar Cockett to push their limits while strengthening the skills needed to excel on the international stage.

“I’d say it was simultaneously stressful and informative. We really learned a lot of things that we did not know or expect to learn. I think it’s good that we had the experience. It’s more preparation for the actual competition in September,” Antonio told JIS News.

One of the most significant lessons, he said, was learning the importance of organisation.

“Workplace management is marked a lot stricter than we realised and also that we need to work together as a team more and properly delegate tasks,” he explained.

Assessing his team’s overall performance in the skill area of autonomous mobile robotics, he acknowledged there was room for improvement, particularly during the early stages of the camp.

“On the last day of the competition, we did very well, actually. Surprisingly well. When I put down the robot, I didn’t think it was going to move, but it did in fact move. It did complete all the tasks.

It was the only one to complete all the tasks. So, we almost got full marks for this round, even though we failed the second round and did not do the best on the first round,” Antonio detailed.

Meanwhile, Omar, Jamaica’s competitor in the unmanned aerial systems (UAS) skill area, described the camp as an intensive period of preparation and growth.

“It was a good experience, mainly just long nights staying up and practising everything and getting ready for the next day to showcase what we have learned,” he said.

Among the key lessons he took away from the camp was the importance of effective time management.

“I spent more time doing things that I should have spent less time doing and also the tuning on my drone, it could have been tuned better,” he told JIS News.

As he continues to prepare for the 48th WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai, China, from September 22 to 27, Omar said he will be working on his time management, noting that it will be a huge advantage on the international stage.

At the end of the camp, Omar earned second place in the UAS friendly competition.

“It’s an honour to have this title and I’ll continue working to, hopefully, get a gold medal,” he said.