The new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation are accelerating breakthroughs and have a profound impact on global skills development. The importance of vocational education and skilled talent training has become more prominent. In recent years, China has continuously improved its modern vocational education system, consolidated talent support for industrial development, and deepened international exchanges and cooperation. International students from Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos and other countries come to China to practice in the clothing design and technology training room, cross-border e-commerce training field, and drone test flight base. They acquire skills in the connection between classroom and industry, and at the same time perceive the real, three-dimensional and comprehensive China.
Cambodian international student Nami has been given the opportunity to improve her employability.
"The lines need to be smooth" and "the stitch length should be more even"... In the training room of the Fashion Design and Technology Major of Shandong Light Industry Vocational College, Cambodian international student Nami is focused on operating the sewing equipment, and the instructor stands beside her to remind her of the essentials of the movements. After successfully completing all processes from pattern making to sewing, Nami carefully placed the finished garment parts on the display table.
In recent years, Shandong Light Industry Vocational College has actively promoted the internationalization of vocational education, explored the "Chinese + vocational skills" international student training model, integrated language learning, professional skills and intangible cultural heritage into international student education, and cultivated a large number of compound talents who both understand Chinese and have professional skills. In November 2024, the college took the initiative to meet the needs of enterprises and jointly built Cambodia's "Ban Mo College" with Luthai Group and Svay Rieng University, establishing a tripartite collaborative education model of "schools + companies + overseas schools" to tailor training programs that meet the needs of corporate positions.
In March 2025, the overseas order class of Cambodia's "Ban·Mo Academy" officially opened. Nami came to Shandong from her hometown of Rajshahi, Cambodia, to study fashion design and craftsmanship. “When I first came here, I couldn’t understand the Chinese professional terms like ‘seam stitching’ and ‘pattern making’.” Nami said that with the help of teachers and classmates, she worked hard to learn Chinese in class and insisted on recording the key points of clothing production technology in Chinese. The notebook she carried was densely filled with Chinese pinyin.
"The school teaches theoretical knowledge, but pays more attention to practical training." Under the careful guidance of the teacher, Nami systematically studied core courses such as basic clothing technology, draping, and garment production, and completed multiple rounds of practical training at the school's clothing training center. The experience of designing and producing a complete set of clothing independently for the first time is still fresh in her memory. "From pattern making, cutting to sewing, the teacher was always there to guide her." At first, Nami was not skilled in her movements and the threads were often skewed. The teacher patiently helped her correct them one by one. “I can now understand professional courses and also learn fashion design and craftsmanship, which gives me an unprecedented sense of accomplishment!”
After more than a year of systematic study, Nami is now proficient in various processes of clothing pattern making and can skillfully cope with the design requirements of different styles of clothing. What fascinates her even more is walking into the studio of an intangible cultural heritage master to experience tie-dying, paper-cutting and embroidery. "An ordinary piece of white cloth is folded and bundled and put into the dye vat. After unfolding, such a beautiful pattern appears. It's like magic!" Nami said. She is trying to combine Chinese intangible cultural heritage elements such as tie-dye and embroidery with Cambodian traditional clothing patterns, and sew them stitch by stitch into the clothes she designed. "Embroidery requires a lot of patience, which makes me more stable when making patterns."
"The cooperation between China and Cambodia in the field of vocational education and skills training has given us the opportunity to improve our employability. My family and friends are proud of me coming to China to study." Nami said that she hopes to continue to improve her Chinese language and design capabilities, integrate more Chinese intangible cultural heritage elements into her works, and become an ambassador for cultural exchanges between Cambodia and China.
Malaysian international students Jin Ye learned valuable experience that is not available in textbooks.
"First confirm the product keywords, then check the purchase cost, international freight and exchange rate fluctuations, and finally edit the short video material..." In front of a shop in Yiwu International Trade City, Zhejiang, Malaysian international student Jin Ye Shang took notes while asking the merchant for advice on how to operate a cross-border online store. As a student majoring in international business at the Nanxun Campus of Zhejiang University of Water Resources and Hydropower, he specially came to this "world supermarket" to learn practical skills from merchants and accumulate market experience.
Traveling between various stores, Gold Industry has a close understanding of the supply capacity, minimum order threshold and new product iteration rhythm of the source factory. He asked merchants about practical difficulties such as overseas after-sales processing and overseas warehouse stocking, and also shared with them the consumer preferences and platform rules in the Southeast Asian market. Now able to talk freely with merchants, he was still a shy teenager when he first came to China. "At that time, I didn't understand the language and the environment was unfamiliar. I was so nervous when giving class reports and speaking on stage that my palms were sweating, and I didn't dare to take the initiative to speak." He said.
What brought changes to the gold industry was a course that brought real business into the classroom. "Before participating in the simulated operation, I thought cross-border e-commerce was just about selling things online. After taking the course, I realized that there is a set of rigorous business logic behind it." The "simulated operation" mentioned by Jin Ye is a comprehensive cross-border e-commerce practice course offered by Zhejiang Water Conservancy and Hydropower College. The teachers who teach the courses are all front-line cross-border e-commerce practitioners who have been deeply involved in the industry for many years. From overseas market research, data analysis and product selection, to calculating procurement costs and cross-border fulfillment costs; from product launch optimization, short video content planning and shooting, to order fulfillment deductions and profit review, the course completely presents real cross-border e-commerce operation scenarios. "Simulated management is the best way to test learning results, and it allows me to learn valuable experiences that cannot be learned in textbooks," Jin Yeshang said.
Relying on cross-border e-commerce specialty courses, Zhejiang Water Conservancy and Hydropower College integrates language learning, professional teaching and industrial practice, and has cultivated more than 40 compound trade talents among international business students who understand Chinese, are fluent in business, and can operate. Jin Yeshang said that when he came to China to study, he was interested in China’s mature and complete digital e-commerce ecosystem. Zhejiang has a cluster of e-commerce platforms, a well-connected supply chain, and a complete logistics system. New business formats such as live-streaming e-commerce and market procurement trade are booming. “Here, the classroom is connected to the market and teaching is connected to the industry. You can get up close and personal with the real pulse of digital trade.”
"I hope to bring the cross-border e-commerce operation experience I learned in China back to Southeast Asia." Jin Yeshang said that he is trying to operate a cross-border online store for the Malaysian market, focusing on home furnishings and general merchandise. Combining local consumption habits, Gold Industry has independently completed product selection, graphic production, and short video shooting. Relying on short videos to attract traffic, store orders have grown steadily. In his spare time, he also shares his life in China with his Malaysian relatives and friends on social media, and introduces Malaysian customs and customs to his Chinese classmates. "I want to build a business bridge to push China's high-quality goods to Southeast Asia, and also introduce Southeast Asia's specialty products to China, so that economic and trade cooperation and youth exchanges can continue." Jin Yeshang said.
Li Ping, an international student from Laos, has developed the real ability to control drones.
At the drone training field of Shaanxi Xi'an Aviation Vocational and Technical College, Lao girl Li Ping held the propeller and turned it in the opposite direction, tightened the rubber band in circles, then held the aircraft model high and adjusted the direction of the nose. The moment he let go, the propellers buzzed, and the plane drew an arc in the air and then circled to the ground.
Li Ping is a student majoring in UAV application technology at Xi'an Aviation Vocational and Technical College. Before coming to China to study, almost all her imagination about aviation came from books. "When I first came here, I couldn't even say the word 'drone'." Li Ping said with a smile that the Yanliang Aviation City, where the college is located, integrates aircraft research and design, manufacturing, test flight identification, education and training, and tourism experience. Aviation elements can be seen everywhere in the streets. She was deeply shocked by the advanced training venues and strong industrial atmosphere. "The moment I arrived in Yanliang, I made up my mind to learn the real skills."
During her first independent test flight, Li Ping clutched the remote control, her hands shaking uncontrollably. With a slight push of the joystick, the drone suddenly deviated from the planned route and the fuselage shook violently. Before she could react, the aircraft crashed into the guardrail of the training ground. The rotor hit the guardrail and made a harsh sound, causing the aircraft to "explode" on the spot. The sudden accident left Li Ping stunned on the spot. The instructor Tian Fang quickly stepped forward to comfort her and taught her step by step how to correct her operating habits such as exerting too much force and losing sight of the aircraft. Taking off, hovering, turning... practicing the basic movements with the teacher over and over again, Li Ping finally mastered the essentials of controlling the drone. "I seem to have found the touch, and now I can 'integrate man and machine.' You can't really do it until you can see it with your eyes, but you can really do it if you can do it with your hands," she said.
Nowadays, Li Ping’s favorite thing is to take aerial photography with a drone. Every time she looks at the beautiful aerial photos, she can't help but marvel at the magic of drones. Li Ping's growth is due to the "UAV Application Technology School" jointly established by Xi'an Aviation Vocational and Technical College and Lao Babasa Technical College. Since its establishment in October 2022, through active joint ventures to carry out order-based training for foreign students, the project has trained more than 40 technical and skilled talents in Laos and other countries who understand technology, speak Chinese, and understand China. Among them, 8 people have entered the Laos drone industry, and 2 have founded drone service companies.
"I want to use the drone technology I learned in the construction of my hometown." Li Ping said that Laos has extensive mountainous areas and rich agricultural and forestry resources. Drones are of great use in vegetation protection, ecological monitoring, and resource inspection. When she returns to Laos to visit relatives during the holidays, she will tell her relatives and friends what she has learned in China - the industrial vitality of Yanliang Aviation City, the practical training model of China's vocational education, and the friendly and inclusive atmosphere on campus. Li Ping hopes to use her personal experience to help more Lao young people understand and get closer to China. "I want to be a good bridge between Lao and Chinese young people and tell my story to more people."
