African youth turn to Zhejiang to pursue vocational education

More and more African students are approaching vocational schools in Zhejiang province to take advantage of its booming e-commerce business. The region's cooperation with African countries in the field of vocational education has become a model for China-Africa educational exchanges.

Jinhua University of Vocational Technology in Jinhua city has been sending out admission letters to dozens of Rwandan students who are going to begin their courses in March. They will be enrolled in various majors, including e-commerce, and will finish their studies 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 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. The 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 for the next five years.

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

Alphonsine said she is passionate about women's clothing. "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. The dazzling array of fashionable clothes that she sees act as motivation.

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

Qian Xiangming, dean of Musanze International College of 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 dream of opening online businesses. Many other vocational schools have also begun cooperating with African countries to tap the 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 the fall of 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.