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 is back, this time to support his juniors.

The 26-year-old, who competed in mechatronics in 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 ITE and the polytechnics are at the 2026 global competition held at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre in Shanghai. All of them are winners at the local and regional WorldSkills competitions, and are representing Singapore in the four-day contest across 31 categories.

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

During the four days, Liew walks the competition floor and shares 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 advises 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 tell him don’t overthink. Just lock in and do it.”

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

Liew, a mechanical engineering graduate who interned at the multinational firm for two years before joining full-time last year, said his hands-on experience from 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 is also in Shanghai to support the students, was crowned world champion for beauty therapy in 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 owed 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.

Liew recalled how he had cut his hand with scissors while opening a cardboard box on the first day of WorldSkills Kazan. He was sent to the hospital, and he returned to the competition first thing 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 were parents of more than 10 competitors.

Aircraft maintenance competitor Aidan Wong’s parents recounted how their son could not sit still to do his homework. Since young, the boy would much rather build planes out of wood, or take a bicycle apart and put it back together.

They supported Wong in pursuing skills, believing in their value alongside academic ability. The younger Wong enjoyed the hands-on work attaining his diploma in aerospace engineering at Temasek Polytechnic.

Wong’s 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 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.”

Wong’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 come to Shanghai, but decided against it as she was heavily pregnant. Regina Chia, 27, had brought home the gold in health and social care in WorldSkills Kazan in Russia in 2019.

The new mother, who now works as a senior business development executive with NHG Health, has this 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.”