Namibian students from Nantong Vocational University start their internship at the construction site of Nantong Theater on June 3. [Photo/ntfabu.com]

Three years ago, 39 students from Namibia were admitted to Nantong Vocational University (NTVU) in Nantong in eastern Jiangsu province, to participate in an educational program initiated by the Namibian Ministry of Higher Education.

Now, the students have finished their course for a college diploma and are currently taking a one-month internship at various leading companies in the city.

Majoring in construction engineering technology, Fei Yu’an -- the Chinese name of a Namibian student -- and four of his peers have already worked at the construction site at Nantong Theater for a week.

“I feel honored to participate in such a key project, which has drawn a lot of attention from the locals,” Fei told a journalist from the Nantong Daily on June 3.

He also revealed his plans to continue to study in Nantong and work hard to get a bachelor’s degree.

Han Sijie who has been studying logistics management at the university, told the newspaper that his idol is Jack Ma, founder and chairman of Alibaba Group.

“China’s e-commerce industry is flourishing with an advanced logistics network,” said Han, who expressed his hope that he would fully use his knowledge to set up an online shopping platform in his country.

In recent years, NTVU has made great efforts to strengthen cooperation in vocational education with countries in southern Africa. A total of 80 Namibian students are currently studying at the university.

“Nantong merchants in Namibia have placed great emphasis on the partnership, because they need a large number of skilled workers that know both Chinese and Namibian culture,” said Liu Wansheng, deputy director of the international education school at NTVU.