China News Network Beijing News, June 11 (Ma Jun, Meng, Qing and Zhang Junyu) With the in-depth implementation of China-Africa production capacity cooperation and the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative, China's vocational education has become a new support point for China's education to Africa and a new carrier for China-Africa economic, trade and cultural exchanges and cooperation.

China-Zabia Vocational and Technical College (hereinafter referred to as "Zhongzan Vocational College") was established in 2019. It is the first overseas vocational college in the country to carry out academic education and an important achievement of the pilot project of China's vocational education "going out". Beijing Industrial Vocational and Technical College (hereinafter referred to as "Beijing Institute of Technology") is one of the first eight domestic vocational colleges to participate in the construction of Zhongzan Vocational College. It has been ten years since it participated in the pilot project in 2015. In 10 years, the pilot project has changed from a "test field" to a "demonstration field". Beijing vocational education has played a demonstration and leading role. Now vocational education has evolved from a new thing to a Chinese vocational education feature with enterprises.

The picture shows Tian Hongfang, Party Secretary of the Beijing Institute of Technology, visiting Zhongzan Vocational College. Photo provided by Beijing Industrial Vocational and Technical College

Liu Changan, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and president of the Beijing Institute of Technology, believes that under the background of the joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative, China-Africa cooperation has given China a historical mission of vocational education, and China's vocational education has ushered in a historical opportunity to go global. Helping local workers master skills, improve the employment rate of young people, serve the people's livelihood of jointly building the "Belt and Road" country, and serve Chinese-funded enterprises. This is the answer to the country's joint construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative with the power of vocational education.

Standard breaks the ice: China's vocational education program first enters the African national education system

The development of vocational education in countries jointly building the "Belt and Road" is unbalanced, and it is difficult to support the demand for high-quality skilled talents in the front line of the industry. Local employees have limited Chinese abilities and are difficult to integrate with Chinese corporate culture. These have affected the development of Chinese-funded enterprises and the industrialization of their countries. Although I saw the crux of the problem, how to break the ice? How to develop? There is no precedent for vocational education to run overseas schools, so "crossing the river by feeling the stones, go out first" seems to have become the only option in front of the Beijing Institute of Technology.

When the first batch of teachers set foot on Zambia's land, the real dilemma in front of them was heartbreaking: the foundation of industrialization was weak, the vocational education system was blank, and the professional teaching standards were missing. The road to breaking through the China-Zambian Vocational College was full of challenges.

Standards are the first to run overseas schools, which is the ice-breaking method of Beigong Institute of Technology. Assembled industry experts and backbone teachers, Beijing Institute of Technology finally developed two major professional standards: automation and information technology, jewelry design and processing after three years. "We use the Chinese vocational education standards as the blueprint, but it is by no means a simple copy." Xie Ligao, deputy director of the International Department of Beijing Institute of Technology and the first foreign teacher, recalled. In 2019, the automation professional standard passed the certification of Zambia Vocational Education Bureau (); in 2021, the jewelry professional standard was re-recognized. This marks the first time that China's vocational education standards have been incorporated into the national education system of other countries, filling the professional gap in the field of vocational education in Zambia.

The picture shows the book press conference and book donation ceremony of Zhongzan Vocational College-Beijing Institute. Photo provided by Beijing Industrial Vocational and Technical College

The implementation of the standard requires supporting resources. The team of Beijing Institute of Technology has successively developed 17 professional English textbooks such as "Graphic Making", 4 industrial Chinese textbooks such as "Jewelry Appraisal and Processing", and 35 international courses, to build a teaching resource matrix covering "language-skill-culture". In April 2025, Tian Hongfang, Party Secretary of the Beijing Institute of Technology, visited Zambia and donated 300 self-developed textbooks and 400 Chinese books to the Zhongzan Vocational College. This donation activity attracted follow-up reports from Zambia State Television. Joric, President of Zambia's Zanfang, said, "This is too important to us, thanks to Beijing." The Director of the Zambia Vocational Education and Training Administration sighed at the donation ceremony: "These textbooks are not only carriers of knowledge, but also seeds that change their destiny."

Dual-track education: forging a complex craftsman who "excellent technology, Chinese, and culture"

In the Confucius Classroom of Zhongzan Vocational College, computer Chinese classes are underway. Tek, a local Chinese teacher with a computer professional background, incorporates professional terms into computer practical scenario teaching to help students master the core Chinese vocabulary about computer operations, such as booting up, typing, copying, pasting, etc. This "task-driven" method is the original "industrial Chinese vocational skills" teaching model of Beijing Institute of Technology.

"We insist on using language as a bridge and industry as a wing," said Ma Jun, the head of Confucius Classroom. "Classic innovation has launched special teaching of 'Industrial Chinese Cultural Experience Skill Improvement', and cultivates compound talents with 'fine technology, Chinese and cultural integration'. 90% of graduates have entered Chinese-funded enterprises and are deeply recognized by enterprises."

The transformation of graduate Ling Gebo is the most convincing. This graduate of automation and information technology is not only professional and technically skilled, but also speaks fluent Chinese. Looking back at the time when he entered school, he could not even find a computer switch. Now he has grown into a technical backbone who can independently troubleshoot PLC system failures. The 22-year-old Ling Gebo has become the pillar of his family's income. His story is called "the best endorsement of China-Zanzhou vocational education cooperation" by Manager Zanfang, the Luanxiamulia West Mine, China Sector Luanxiamulia.

Today, Zhongzan Vocational College has formed a four-in-one education system of academic education, skills training, distance education and Chinese education, and has cultivated more than 1,500 "Chinese Vocational Skills" talents in total.

Sympathy of industry and education: building a win-win ecology where "enterprises cannot be separated from and Africa can be used"

Starting this year, the first overseas central enterprise order class jointly organized by China Zang Vocational College and China 15th Metallurgical Construction Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "15th Metallurgical") officially started, which marks a solid pace for the integration of industry and education in Zambia, injecting new impetus into building a win-win ecosystem where "enterprises cannot be separated from and Africa can use it."

The order class adopts the "integration of engineering and academics" model, and schools and enterprises jointly formulate plans. Chinese engineers from the 15th Metallurgical Institute directly participate in the teaching. The courses are highly consistent with the needs of the enterprise. Students can directly join the job after graduation, saving a lot of corporate labor costs. The 15th Metallurgical Order Class demonstrates the "demand-oriented" school running logic. In the future, Zhongzan Vocational College will also open more corporate order classes to meet the needs of enterprises for high-quality talents.

The picture shows the "going out" talent training model won the second prize of the National Teaching Achievement Award and the Beijing Special Prize. Photo provided by Beijing Industrial Vocational and Technical College

The China-Zanzhou Vocational College's industry-education integration model has achieved remarkable results and has also produced spillover effects. The Beijing Institute of Technology has condensed practical experience into theoretical achievements. In 2022, the school applied for and won the second prize of the National Teaching Achievement Award with the theme of "four-party linkage, standard guidance, and language and technology integration" - the exploration and practice of the talent training model of vocational colleges "going out" and promoted the "China-Zanzhou Experience" to countries such as Tajikistan and Myanmar to jointly build the "Belt and Road" to form a replicable internationalized vocational education model.

Gao Shiji, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of the Beijing Institute of Technology, said that this is not only a successful practice of vocational education going overseas, but also a vivid example of building a community with a shared future for mankind, and drawing a better picture of the future for China-Zambia and even China-Africa cooperation.

Looking back over the past ten years, the Silk Road of Vocational Education has begun a new journey. From "going out" to "taking roots", Beijing Institute of Technology has spent ten years exploring the path of internationalization of vocational education: based on standards, language as the bridge, and culture as the soul, so that local skilled talents can become messengers of mutual learning among civilizations.

Without forgetting the original intention and ten years of deep cultivation, Beijing Vocational Education has taken root in this land of Africa. Standing at the new historical coordinates, Tian Hongfang, Party Secretary of the Beijing Institute of Technology, said: "In the future, the Beijing Institute of Technology will focus on the opening up of high-level education to the outside world, serve the function construction of the capital's "four centers". Taking the "future African vocational education" as an opportunity, we will continue to run the Zhongzan Vocational College well, so that more African youth can change their destiny through vocational education, and let Chinese vocational education shine on the world stage." (End)