Singapore records its highest award tally since joining the global competition in 1995.
Singapore’s young technical talents have returned from Shanghai with a record-setting WorldSkills performance, collecting eight medals and 19 Medallions for Excellence across a wide range of vocational and technology disciplines.
Singapore Collects Eight Medals
Singapore won four silver and four bronze medals at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, which ran from September 23 to 26 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center. The country sent 34 competitors from the Institute of Technical Education and Singapore’s five polytechnics across 31 skill areas. Nearly 1,400 competitors from close to 70 countries and regions participated across 64 skills.
Four Competitors Take Silver
Singapore’s silver medals came from Sheryl Ong in visual merchandising, Charmaine Lee in restaurant service, Yuki Lee in chemical laboratory technology, and Norwin Goh in logistics and freight forwarding. Charmaine Lee also received Singapore’s Best of Nation award, presented to a competitor from each participating country or region in recognition of their performance.
Digital Construction Delivers Historic Bronze
Singapore’s four bronze medals were won in software applications development, 3D digital game art, cloud computing and digital construction. Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Samuel Tan secured the digital construction bronze, giving Singapore its first WorldSkills medal in that category after previously earning a Medallion for Excellence in the same skill at the 2024 competition in Lyon.
Record 27 Awards for Singapore
Beyond the eight medals, Singapore received 19 Medallions for Excellence, bringing its total to 27 awards, its highest tally since first participating in WorldSkills in 1995. The previous record was 22 awards at WorldSkills Kazan in 2019. Singapore finished with the fifth-highest number of awards among participating countries and regions.
Shanghai Competition Showcases 64 Skills
The four-day WorldSkills Shanghai competition concluded on September 26, followed by the closing ceremony on September 27, when medals were presented to the leading performers in each skill and China topped the medal table. New events reflected changing industries and technologies, including rail vehicle technology, software testing and unmanned aerial systems, all three of which produced Medallions for Excellence for Singapore competitors. The WorldSkills flag was handed to Japan, which will host the next competition in Aichi in 2028.
Singapore’s record 27-award haul highlights the performance of its vocational and technical students on an international stage, including a first medal in digital construction. For Singaporeans, the results recognize skills developed through ITE and polytechnic training, while Indonesians following regional education and workforce development can also view the competition as a benchmark for how technical skills are tested globally.
Sources: Straits Times (2026) , World Skills org (2026)
Keywords: WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, Singapore WorldSkills, Vocational Skills Singapore, Technical Education, Singapore Polytechnics, Skills Competition
