S’pore’s former WorldSkills winners fly to Shanghai to support competing juniors

SHANGHAI – Seven years after Arthur Liew won a medallion of excellence in the world’s largest skills competition, he returned, this time to support his juniors.

The 26-year-old, who competed in mechatronics at WorldSkills Kazan in 2019, took leave to fly to Shanghai on Sept 23 – the first day of the WorldSkills contest.

Thirty-four young people from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) and the polytechnics were at the 2026 global competition held at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. All of them are winners from the local and regional WorldSkills competitions, and were representing Singapore in the four-day contest across 31 categories.

Over 30 supporters from Singapore had made the trip to China to cheer them on.

Over four days, Liew walked the competition floor and shared good practices from other countries, such as how they set up their work stations, with contestants Brandon Yap and Cedric Yau, both 21. He also advised them on how to gear up for the mental battle.

“Brandon always has a confidence issue when it comes to assembling the machine fast. I told him, ‘Don’t overthink. Just lock in and do it.’”

Liew credits WorldSkills with helping him land his role as a manufacturing engineer in US semiconductor supplier Applied Materials. His job is to ensure the quality build of semiconductor equipment sold to firms that produce computer chips, such as Micron.

Liew, a mechanical engineering graduate who interned at the multinational firm for two years before joining full-time in 2025, said his hands-on experience at WorldSkills set him apart in the eyes of his employer.

Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Education Syed Harun Alhabsyi, who visited Team Singapore at the event, said: “You see an entire ecosystem of support for the students… Former winners are paying it forward for the students who are competing today.”

Shuner Villanueva Leong, who was also in Shanghai to support the students, was crowned world champion for beauty therapy at WorldSkills London 2011. The 36-year-old now trains students for the WorldSkills contest.

Harun said feedback from the polytechnics and ITE is that past cohorts of WorldSkills participants are flourishing in their careers, or “doing greater things” in institutes of higher learning.

He said this is owing to “their ethos in honing their skills, and the deep dedication and resilience and discipline that they’ve had throughout this entire journey”.

Liew said the competition taught him to perform under pressure and to “never cut corners”, lest small issues snowball down the road. These qualities have served him well in the workplace.

He recalled how he had cut his hand with scissors while opening a cardboard box on the first day of WorldSkills Kazan. He was taken to the hospital, and returned to the competition right after his hand was bandaged.

After all, he had flown all this way, and trained for three years for the moment.

The episode was “a good experience to train mental resilience”, he said.

Liew earned a medallion of excellence, given to competitors with a score of at least 800 out of 1,000.

Among the most ardent supporters at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 were parents of more than 10 competitors from Singapore.

Aircraft maintenance competitor Aidan Wong’s parents recounted how their son could not sit still to do his homework. Since he was young, he had preferred building planes out of wood, or taking a bicycle apart and putting it back together.

They supported the 21-year-old in pursuing skills, believing in their value alongside academic ability. Aidan enjoyed the hands-on work, attaining his diploma in aerospace engineering at Temasek Polytechnic. His parents hope he can go to university, but are leaving it up to their son. He is heading for national service right after WorldSkills.

“We have not wanted him to live his life just to make us happy… You make your choice and you live with no regrets,” said his father, Joe Wong, 45, who runs an interior design firm.

He tells his son: “Maybe take a break from academics because you have been studying since primary school, then go for NS and see what you want to do next.”

Aidan’s parents hope for people in skilled occupations such as electricians, plumbers and technicians to be given greater recognition in Singapore.

They also hope improved perceptions will encourage more Singaporeans to take up such skilled jobs.

“People respect doctors, lawyers, engineers. Electricians also spend their years studying,” Joe Wong said. “These skilled people are worth our respect, because if they don’t fix the thing, you can’t work on something.”

A former WorldSkills champion had wanted to go to Shanghai, but decided against it as she was heavily pregnant. Regina Chia, 27, had brought home the gold in health and social care at WorldSkills Kazan in Russia in 2019.

The new mother, who now works as a senior business development executive with NHG Health, has this piece of advice for her juniors: “You will screw up during the competition, but if you tell yourself to do better, you will do better.

“Your mindset and the daily words you feed yourself are very powerful.”