Chaley Ayers, a volunteer teacher from the United States, poses with her students at Guizhou Forerunner College, an institute for vocational education in Guizhou province. Provided to China Daily

For students who don't shine in their university entrance examinations, vocational schools offer alternative paths to success. Sun Yuanqing visits one institution in Guizhou.

Chen Yu thought his future was bleak when his low score in the university entrance exam failed to get him into a prestigious college.

Now, one year after he began studying at Guizhou Forerunner College, an institute for vocational education in Guizhou province in southwestern China, the hotel management student is again full of ambition.

"I have been continuously inspired by the volunteer teachers. They revealed to me a whole new world of possibilities," says Chen.

Vocational education is being increasingly emphasized amid the industry upgrade in China. International volunteers with professional backgrounds and varied life experience are playing an important role in the process.

Yang Shaoxian, vice-chancellor of GFC, says that as a less-developed inland province, Guizhou is pushing to develop service and manufacturing industries.

"We hope vocational education will offer a bachelor's degree in the future, which means that vocational education will be valued just as much as university education," Yang says.

Founded in 2011 by Wang Xuehong, president of HTC Corporation, the college is a nonprofit school mainly targeted at students from poor families in Guizhou. The college currently offers vocational higher education in areas, including hotel management, IT and Internet marketing. Among the more than 140 teachers in the school, 25 are international volunteers. More than 200 international volunteers have served in the school so far.