Skills, grit and growth: Meet Team RP at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026

Team RP competitors mark the start of their journey to WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 at the send-off ceremony.

Skills, grit and growth: Meet Team RP at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026

Four Team RP representatives will fly the Singapore flag at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, competing in Restaurant Service, Hotel Reception, Rail Vehicle Technology and Unmanned Aerial Systems.

Across hospitality, rail engineering and drone technology, they will put years of learning, practice and perseverance to the test on the world stage.

WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 Programme

• Opening Ceremony: 22 September 2026

• Competition: 23 to 26 September 2026

• Closing Ceremony: 27 September 2026

• Venue: National Exhibition and Convention Center, Shanghai, China

Taking Singapore skills to the world

WorldSkills is more than a single competition. It is a journey of skills development that gives youths opportunities to test their abilities against increasingly demanding standards.

For many competitors, that journey begins at WorldSkills Singapore, where they compete alongside the nation’s best. Those who excel may go on to WorldSkills ASEAN or the WorldSkills Competition, gaining exposure to regional practices and international benchmarks while developing the confidence, discipline and resilience needed to perform under pressure.

The highest stage is the biennial WorldSkills Competition, often described as the “Youth Olympics of Skills”. In Shanghai, about 1,400 competitors from 70 countries and regions will compete across 64 skill areas. Team Singapore comprises 34 competitors across 31 skill areas, including four from RP.

Meet Team RP

Charmaine Lee Qianyu

Diploma in Restaurant & Culinary Operations, Year 3
Skill Area: Restaurant Service

Charmaine’s interest in hospitality began during a part-time job, where she discovered how much she enjoyed creating memorable experiences for guests.

Her first WorldSkills experience did not end with a medal. Rather than allowing the disappointment to define her, she treated it as a chance to learn. When another opportunity arose after she joined RP, she returned with greater determination.

Preparing for Restaurant Service requires far more than setting tables and serving meals. Competitors must master fine-dining service, beverage preparation, bar work, guest engagement and the ability to respond calmly when plans change. One of Charmaine’s greatest challenges has been memorising the many service components and adapting quickly to recipes revealed only during the competition.

Her WorldSkills journey has since taken her across national, regional and international stages. She won Silver at WorldSkills Singapore 2025 and represented Singapore at WorldSkills ASEAN Manila 2025, where she earned Bronze. She then clinched Gold and Best of Nation at the WorldSkills Australia 2026 Global Skills Challenge.

Each competition has introduced Charmaine to higher standards and new challenges, reinforcing her belief that progress comes from discipline, consistency and the willingness to keep improving.

Charmaine Lee Qianyu, Team RP’s Restaurant Service competitor, smiling on campus in a navy blazer.

Nur Fatimah Binte Khur Sheed Ahmad Shah

Diploma in Hotel & Hospitality Management, Class of 2025
Skill Area: Hotel Reception

Fatimah’s passion for hospitality began with a childhood hotel stay, where the warmth of the staff left a lasting impression. It showed her that hospitality is ultimately about human connection and making people feel welcome.

Encouraged by her mentor, she took on the challenge of WorldSkills. Training for Hotel Reception has strengthened her communication, problem-solving and teamwork skills, while teaching her to remain composed when handling demanding guest scenarios.

The experience has also changed how Fatimah approaches challenges. She has learnt to balance ambition with self-compassion and to recognise that steady progress matters more than perfection.

A Silver medallist at WorldSkills Singapore 2025, Fatimah will now bring her calm presence and guest-centred approach to Shanghai.

Nur Fatimah, Team RP’s Hotel Reception competitor, smiling on campus in a navy blazer.

Arfan Amirun Bin Arfiee

Diploma in Engineering Systems Management, Year 3
Skill Area: Rail Vehicle Technology

Arfan’s interest in engineering began with robotics when he was nine. He later pursued Mechatronics at ITE, where he was first introduced to WorldSkills.

Although he initially stepped away from training to concentrate on his studies, the ambition never left him. When the opportunity returned at RP, he was ready to commit himself fully.

Rail Vehicle Technology tests a competitor’s ability to inspect, maintain and troubleshoot rail systems safely and accurately. To prepare, Arfan studies unfamiliar equipment, documents processes through photographs and videos, and revisits each detail until he understands how the systems work.

His persistence paid off when he and his teammate won Gold in Rapid Transit Systems at WorldSkills Singapore 2025. Shanghai represents the next stage of his development and an opportunity to measure his skills against international standards.

Arfan Amirun, Team RP’s Rail Vehicle Technology competitor, working on rail equipment during a training session.

Shafriel Nur Iman Bin Shammuain

Diploma in Aviation Management, Year 3
Skill Area: Unmanned Aerial Systems

Shafriel’s fascination with flight began with remote-controlled helicopters. In secondary school, he gained experience in 3D modelling, programming and drone piloting before joining RP’s Drone Soccer interest group.

There, he helped to design and test drone guards, supported training sessions and represented RP at competitions including the FIDA Drone Soccer World Cup in Korea.

Shafriel initially hesitated when invited to join WorldSkills because of the training commitment. After reflecting on the opportunity, he chose to take on the challenge.

Unmanned Aerial Systems requires competitors to assemble, configure, maintain and operate drones while responding to technical and mission-based scenarios. Preparing for Shanghai has strengthened Shafriel’s technical knowledge and reinforced his ambition to build a career in drone development.

Shafriel Nur Iman, Team RP’s Unmanned Aerial Systems competitor, posing with a drone during a training session.

Building on a strong WorldSkills record

Team RP heads to Shanghai with a strong record of achievement across national, regional and international competitions.

• WorldSkills Australia 2026 Global Skills Challenge: Charmaine Lee Qianyu won Gold in Restaurant Service and received the Best of Nation award. Read more ↗ (opens in new tab)

• WorldSkills Singapore 2025: RP competitors secured 3 Gold, 4 Silver and 1 Bronze awards, as well as 7 Medallions for Excellence. View the official results ↗ (opens in new tab)

• WorldSkills ASEAN Manila 2025: Joshua Lucas Tan won Gold and Charmaine Lee Qianyu won Bronze in Restaurant Service. Across the competition, Team Singapore received 6 Gold, 4 Silver and 4 Bronze medals, together with 6 Medallions for Excellence. View the official results ↗ (opens in new tab)

• WorldSkills Lyon 2024: Selina Sapii won Silver in Restaurant Service. Ng Xin Yu Sage and Yu Si En Rachel received Medallions for Excellence in Cooking and Hotel Reception respectively. View the official results ↗ (opens in new tab)

• WorldSkills Singapore 2023: Across the two competition phases, RP competitors secured 3 Gold, 5 Silver and 3 Bronze awards, as well as 5 Medallions for Excellence. View the Phase 1 results ↗ (opens in new tab) and Phase 2 results ↗ (opens in new tab)

• WorldSkills ASEAN Singapore 2023: Ng Xin Yu won Silver in Cooking and Lim Yue Jun won Silver in Information Network Cabling. Zamiruzzaman and Mohamed Firdaus received a Medallion for Excellence in Rapid Transit Systems. View the official results ↗ (opens in new tab)

• WorldSkills Competition 2022 Special Edition: Jovinn Toh made history by winning Singapore’s first WorldSkills Gold in Hotel Reception. She was also named Best of Nation. Read more ↗ (opens in new tab)

Ready for Shanghai

Beyond medals, WorldSkills gives competitors the opportunity to deepen their technical expertise, learn from peers and experts from around the world, and discover what they can achieve through sustained effort.

For Charmaine, Fatimah, Arfan and Shafriel, Shanghai is both a competition and the next step in their learning journeys. As they prepare to represent Singapore, they carry with them the skills they have developed, the support of their mentors and teammates, and the determination to perform at their best.