34 young people gear up to represent Singapore at ‘Olympics of skills’ in Shanghai

SINGAPORE – After missing the N-level cut-off for polytechnic admission by one point, Brandon Yap turned his academic struggles into motivation and is now set to represent Singapore at the prestigious WorldSkills Competition.

When he was young, Yap would help his dad as he fixed a lightbulb. That got him wondering how things work.

The experience later sparked his interest in engineering, eventually leading the teen, who was aimless in secondary school, to pursue a Diploma in Electrical Engineering at Ngee Ann Polytechnic. He also joined an international competition in a field entirely new to him – mechatronics.

Mechatronics is a branch of engineering that involves using mechanics, electronics and programming to build automated systems, such as those used on factory assembly lines.

Yap, 21, is among 34 young people from ITE and the polytechnics who will represent Singapore at the WorldSkills Competition in Shanghai in just over a week’s time.

When he was in ITE, Yap was eager to take up opportunities. “I wanted to graduate with something meaningful, not just a cert. I thought that it was important to know what my goal in life was rather than working aimlessly,” he said.

Yap jumped at the chance to participate in WorldSkills.

The 34 young people, all winners at the local and regional WorldSkills competitions, will take part in 31 categories – a record for Singapore.

Organised by WorldSkills International every two years, the event is the world’s largest skills competition. It seeks to advance technical and vocational education.

Dubbed the “Olympics of skills”, the contest, which runs from Sept 22 to Sept 27, will bring together over 1,400 competitors from more than 70 countries and regions.

They will compete in a record 64 skill areas, such as aircraft maintenance, baking, floristry, precision engineering and information technology.

Yap, who bagged gold at both the local and regional WorldSkills contests, will compete as part of a two-man team against 31 other teams in the mechatronics category.

He builds the parts, while his teammate, Cedric Yau, who is pursuing a Diploma in Mechatronics and Robotics at the same polytechnic, focuses on programming. Together, they will have to design, assemble, program and maintain automated industrial machinery.

The 48th WorldSkills Competition will feature seven new skill events as organisers seek to reflect industrial shifts and technological advances. These include intelligent security technology and dental prosthetics.

Team Singapore will compete in three of the new skill areas: rail vehicle technology, software testing, and unmanned aerial systems. 

Logistics and freight forwarding, which did not meet the minimum participation requirements, will be held for the last time in 2026.

Addressing Team Singapore at a send-off ceremony on Sept 4, Senior Minister of State for Education Janil Puthucheary said WorldSkills had grown into a global movement since it was founded in 1950.

“We are living through a period of rapid change. AI and automation are reshaping industries. The nature of work is evolving faster than ever before. In this environment, you may wonder: Does skills mastery still matter?

“The answer is yes – more than ever. For Singapore, our participation in WorldSkills reflects something we deeply believe in,” he said, citing competitors’ precision, problem-solving skills, adaptability and ability to perform under pressure, on top of their technical proficiency.

“These are skills and qualities that no technology can fully replicate, qualities that will always be in demand.”

In the last competition, held in Lyon, France, in 2024, Singapore placed seventh overall, out of more than 70 countries.

China emerged top with 49 medals, 36 of which were gold. South Korea came in second, with 10 golds among its 32 medals. Switzerland, France, Taiwan and Japan were also among the top performers.

Yap recounted how joining a “friendly” competition in Tianjin, China, in May had shown him how intensively top teams like China train.

“It was very intimidating because it made me realise how far away I was from winning.”

Running is part of his training

Yap has been training from 9am to 6pm, five days a week since graduating from poly in April. He spends his days building and wiring machine parts like conveyor belts, then making sure everything can work together under tight time limits.

His mechatronics coach and lecturers help him prepare for the competition.

As part of Yap’s training, his coach also has him run every day, clocking about 20km a week. This builds his fitness and stamina for the challenge, which requires him to move fast to complete the project within several hours.

Despite these efforts, however, Yap is clear on one thing: “There’s always someone putting in more effort. I need to know where I stand, manage my expectations and still try my best.”

To cope with the stress, Yap talks to his three older siblings and his parents. His father owns an interior design business, while his mother works as a manager.

“I talk to people rather than keeping things inside. It will build up eventually. My family and friends are my biggest supporters,” he said.

Peter Lam, chairman of the WorldSkills Singapore Council and chief executive of ITE, said: “Skills-based professions are essential to Singapore’s economy and our everyday lives.”

WorldSkills competitions can provide an important launchpad for young Singaporeans joining these professions, allowing them to benchmark their skills against the best in the world, he said.

To attract talent to skills-based professions, Singapore needs to provide clear pathways for young people to progress in their careers and ensure that these skills are fairly rewarded, Lam added.

Yap will study electrical engineering at Nanyang Technological University on the Nanyang Global Scholarship. He hopes to work in a company like SP Group and help solve people’s problems.

He said joining WorldSkills has helped him grow up.

Yap recalled how his parents were worried when he was in primary school as he was not motivated and wanted only to play. It was only in secondary school that he began to realise the importance of taking his studies seriously.

“I thought about how my parents were not going to be young forever. I want to make sure that I’m capable of helping my parents instead of making them worry about my studies.”

He saw the free time he had in secondary school vanish.

“It was a huge change. I needed to tune my body, tune my mind to persevere through the initial training phase. When I started training, I kept failing and failing. You need to condition your mind to eventually succeed,” he said.

The grind started to pay off for Yap when he saw small wins that built his confidence.

“My satisfaction comes when I see the system working, like if I build a conveyor and it’s able to move – that’s my little milestone of the day.”

Of his hopes for the upcoming showdown, he said: “I don’t ask for No. 1. I want something more realistic – I wish to be on the podium.”

Singapore’s medal winners will receive cash prizes funded by the WorldSkills Singapore Office. Gold winners get $20,000, while silver and bronze medallists receive $10,000 and $5,000 respectively. Winning teams will receive $30,000 for gold, $15,000 for silver and $7,500 for bronze.