Reese-Ann Alleyne Prepares for WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 with Training Camp

Barbadian WorldSkills cooking competitor, Reese-Ann Alleyne, has completed an intensive international training camp in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, as part of her preparation for WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 in September.

Held during the SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference, the training camp brought together culinary competitors from Barbados, Canada, the US and Ireland. It provided a unique opportunity for participants to sharpen their skills in a competition-style environment, while building international connections ahead of the world’s largest skills competition.

Chief expert for cooking at WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 and Canadian representative, Sean Kettley, said the camp was designed to expose competitors to the pressures and expectations of international competition.

“We’re using the SkillsUSA facilities and competition as our backdrop, but what we have is a friendly training camp. It’s an opportunity for competitors to practise in a competition environment, receive feedback from experienced judges and become comfortable with the demands of international competition,” he explained.

Kettley noted that while technical development was important, relationship-building was equally valuable.

“They’re building relationships with competitors they’ll see again in Shanghai. When they arrive and see familiar faces, it makes the experience much less intimidating. That’s just as beneficial as the practice they’re getting.”

He added that because the official WorldSkills competition project remains unknown until closer to the event, competitors are currently focusing on strengthening fundamental culinary skills.

“We’re concentrating on the basics – knife skills, hygiene, organisation, time management and adaptability. These are the foundations they’ll rely on when the competition details are released.”

For WorldSkills Barbados cooking expert, Chef Angela Garraway-Holland, the training camp represented both a learning opportunity and an important milestone in Reese-Ann’s development.

“So far, it has been a very interesting and informative experience,” she said. “As a new expert, I’ve had the opportunity to learn from experienced international experts about judging criteria, assessments and the standards expected at WorldSkills.”

Garraway-Holland described the camp as an ideal preparation exercise for Barbados’ competitor.

“This was an excellent opportunity for Reese-Ann. She has never been exposed to an arena of this scale before, so this serves as an important stepping stone to Shanghai.”