For African youth, Zhejiang province becomes haven for vocational studies

More African students have been gaining more access to vocational schools in Zhejiang province to take advantage of its strong e-commerce knowledge, and their cooperation in vocational education has become a model for China-Africa educational exchanges and cooperation projects.

Jinhua University of Vocational Technology in Jinhua city is sending admission letters to dozens of Rwandan students, who are expected to start their studies in March. They will be enrolled in various majors, including e-commerce, and expected to finish their courses in December 2025.

"The training programs and teaching plans for them are being improved based on the feedback from the first group of students," said Huang Xin, deputy dean of the university's School of International Education, which is responsible for the study arrangements of foreign students.

In April, the university welcomed 30 Rwandan students, the first batch to be invited under the Future of Africa — China-Africa Vocational Education Cooperation Plan project. Those students, who are majoring in electrical automation and e-commerce, will graduate next month.

The university plans to enroll a group of students from Rwanda annually through 2029.

Uwamahoro Alphonsine, a Rwandan student majoring in e-commerce at the university, has been occupied with her studies. During a recent practice, she imitated livestreaming sales slogans in fluent Chinese and introduced products in a simulated livestreaming room, according to report from the Jinhua News Media Center.

Alphonsine said she is passionate about the women's clothing industry.

"Before coming to Jinhua, I had the idea of starting my e-commerce business, but I didn't have a clear direction. Jinhua has made my entrepreneurial dream more concrete," she said.

During her spare time, Alphonsine often visits women's clothing stores in the city's downtown area and Yiwu International Trade City. She is motivated by the dazzling array of fashionable women's clothing on offer.

"Women's clothing in China is both cheap and beautiful," she said. "I want to bring them back to Rwanda and let more Rwandan girls try them on."

Qian Xiangming, dean of Musanze International College at the university, said, "Most overseas students choose to return to their country after graduation. We have contacted Chinese enterprises in Rwanda and hope to help the students realize their dreams of working or starting businesses in Rwanda."

Zhejiang, a coastal province renowned for its e-commerce prowess, has attracted many African students like Alphonsine who are dreaming of opening online businesses. Many other vocational schools have also begun cooperating with African countries to explore the overseas market of vocational education for African youth.

Yiwu Industrial and Commercial College, located in Yiwu, a city known as the "world's supermarket" for its enormous exports of small commodities, established an African branch campus, the Morocco Yiwu Business School, in October last year. Taking advantage of its strengths in international trade, big data technology and cross-border e-commerce, the African campus admitted its first group of 26 students in fall 2023, and another 33 students this fall, according to the college.

These students will study in Morocco for two years and spend their last year in Yiwu.

In addition, Zhejiang has also launched various projects to promote educational exchanges in recent years. Jinhua and Musanze, a city in Rwanda, have focused on training talent who will work in key industries in African countries. They have implemented the "Chinese Language plus Vocational Skills" education program and have conducted various skills training programs that have benefited over 30,000 people, according to the Jinhua News Media Center.

This cooperation in vocational education has not only promoted the sharing of high-quality educational resources but has also fostered cultural exchanges, making Musanze Jinhua's first national-level sister city.

chenye@chinadaily.com.cn