Ahead of the opening of seven vocational training institutions equipped with state-of-the-art technology (in Ebimpé, Yamoussoukro, Diabo, Dabakala, Kong, Korhogo, and Gbéléban) scheduled for the 2025-2026 school year, 16 school managers will travel to China on March 13, 2025, for a one-month training program (from March 14 to April 12) focused on governance and management of educational institutions.

Upon their return, seven of these managers will be selected and appointed to head the newly constructed institutions, which are part of the implementation of the Project for the Design, Construction, Equipment, and Assistance in Maintenance and Operation of Seven Vocational Training Institutions in Côte d'Ivoire. The project is being executed by the AVIC-INTL Project Engineering Company (AVIC project).

Before their departure for the Light Industry Technical and Vocational Institute in Tianjin, China, the 16 school managers, including five women, were received on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, in Abidjan-Plateau by the Minister of Technical Education, Vocational Training, and Apprenticeship, N'Guessan Koffi. He offered them useful advice, recommendations, and guidance for exemplary behavior during their training in China.

“These schools are equipped with state-of-the-art technology, which requires great skill and attention to operate. With the experience and skills you will acquire, coupled with your dedication and hard work, we hope that your training in China will positively impact the managerial quality of our training system and better equip our institutions to increase partnerships and additional resources for better management,” said N'Guessan Koffi.

He also emphasized the importance of technical and vocational education in attracting young people to develop human capital that can drive the country's development: "Our goal is to have institutions with international appeal, as we have brother countries that are willing to send their youth to Côte d'Ivoire for high-quality training."

Speaking on behalf of the school managers, Souleymane Traoré, director of the Mohammed VI Multisectoral Vocational School in Yopougon, reassured the Minister: “We will show ourselves worthy and work with discipline and rigor so that your vision for high-quality technical and vocational education is realized.”

As a reminder, as part of the AVIC project, 182 trainers and educational supervisors received four months of training in China in 2023 and 2024.