But they became world champions, conducting high-quality development research | they didn't get into college milling machines | world | world champions

Guangzhou, June 10th (Xinhua) -- They didn't get into college, but became world champions

Xinhua News Agency reporters Wang Haoming and Chen Fanjing

A blueprint, a computer, a timer, and a pair of eyes occasionally switch between the blueprint and the computer screen. After the clicking sound of the keyboard and mouse, a set of parameters are calculated and imported into the CNC system of the milling machine. There is a grinding sound between the cutting head and the metal blank, sparks splatter everywhere, and for a moment, a workpiece is "fresh out of the furnace". The smooth surface shines brightly, reflecting the beauty of industry.

On June 9th, students attended classes at Guangdong Mechanical Technician College located in Guangzhou. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gong Bing

This is the daily scene of the CNC milling machine training base of Guangdong Mechanical Technician College, where students are nervously preparing for battle, while two teachers occasionally guide them.

This school located in Baiyun District, Guangzhou has trained 10 gold medalists in the World Skills Competition - they did not get into university, but they are world champions. Some of them stay at school to cultivate the next batch of champions. Some enter enterprises and become experts in high-precision manufacturing.

On June 9th, Yang Denghui, the champion of the CNC milling project at the 44th World Skills Competition at Guangdong Mechanical Technician College in Guangzhou, was guiding students. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gong Bing

Yang Denghui, born in 1997, was the champion of the 2017 World Skills Competition, a representative of the 14th National People's Congress, and a teacher at Guangdong Mechanical Technician College.

Zhou Chujie, born in 1999, won the 2022 World Skills Competition and is the youngest teacher at Guangdong Mechanical Technician College.

And these two teachers had a master apprentice relationship a year ago.

Zhou Chujie was born into a rural family in Shunde, Foshan. Before graduating from junior high school, his uncle once took him to visit the CNC workshop of a factory.

"In the clean and tidy workshop, the masters dressed in gray and blue work clothes were fully focused, and shiny workpieces were born one by one in the equipment they operated. It was at that time that I had my first intuitive understanding of technical workers. They created products with their own skills, and everyone was amazing." Zhou Chujie said.

This young man, who was only 15 years old at the time, entered a vocational school in Shunde to study CNC machining after graduating from junior high school. In 2017, he saw the Chinese delegation winning multiple gold medals in the 44th World Skills Competition on television in the school cafeteria. "I was so excited that I didn't sleep all night, and a bold idea came to my mind: Can I represent my country in the World Skills Competition?"

On June 9th, students attended classes at Guangdong Mechanical Technician College located in Guangzhou. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gong Bing

With a dream in mind, Zhou Chujie entered Guangdong Mechanical Technician College after graduating from vocational school, specializing in CNC milling machines. He joined the training team preparing for the World Skills Competition, and his teacher was precisely Yang Denghui, the champion of the 44th World Skills Competition CNC milling project that Zhou Chujie saw on the cafeteria TV during his vocational school years.

Zhou Chujie replicated his teacher's sweat and path of glory, starting training at 7 o'clock every day and not resting until 12 o'clock in the evening. Finally, he stood out among the selection team members and represented the Chinese team in the 2022 World Skills Competition special tournament in Germany.

For three days and three modules, Zhou Chujie shuttled between the sparking machine tool and the computer for 18 consecutive hours. With stable performance, he climbed to the highest podium of the CNC milling project - and this is already the fourth consecutive championship of Guangdong Mechanical Technician College in this project.

In the past 10 years, athletes from Guangdong Mechanical Technician College have participated in the World Skills Competition 5 times, winning a total of 10 gold medals, 3 silver medals, and 4 bronze medals.

On June 9th, students attended classes at Guangdong Mechanical Technician College located in Guangzhou. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gong Bing

In the eyes of Ye Junfeng, the dean of Guangdong Mechanical Technician College, a gold medal is an honor, a role model, and can better promote the improvement of the school's educational quality.

"By participating in the World Competition, we have promoted the development of the college's professional construction and the improvement of the quality of talent cultivation. The students we cultivate should be able to work and contribute directly to the production of enterprises as soon as they graduate." He introduced that the college serves 20 strategic industrial clusters in Guangdong Province, creating 7 professional clusters such as industrial design and rapid prototyping, intelligent manufacturing, artificial intelligence technology application, and new energy vehicles, making teaching and training content seamlessly integrated with enterprise positions.

At the Sino German Siemens International Institute of Technology, established in cooperation with Siemens Germany, a practical lesson is currently taking place. Students are divided into several groups to learn industrial robot programming and debugging. The teacher explains while the students get started with the operation.

"I can't sit still in front of a book in the classroom, but I find this kind of operation class very interesting and I learn quickly," said a student.

On June 9th, students attended classes at Guangdong Mechanical Technician College located in Guangzhou. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Gong Bing

The cooperation between schools and enterprises and the integration of industry and education also run through the entire process of running this school. The school has established the "Guangdong Province Mechanical Skills Alliance" with more than 300 domestic and foreign famous enterprises, including Siemens and 16 Fortune 500 companies, forming a school enterprise collaborative education mechanism. The cooperative enterprises provide over 17000 job opportunities to the college every year.

This positive interaction between schools and enterprises, as well as the close integration of industry and education, also increases the number and quality of skilled talents. According to data provided by the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of Guangdong Province, the total number of skilled talents in Guangdong Province has reached 18.5 million, of which 6.31 million are high skilled talents, accounting for 34.1%. This is the biggest confidence that supports this manufacturing province.

"We hope to show everyone that success is not just about entering university. The high-quality development of Made in China calls for high-quality vocational education, and we hope more young people can invest in this blue ocean," said Ye Junfeng.