GUANGZHOU — At a symposium held last month in Guangzhou, South China's Guangdong province, Yang Denghui, a vocational trainer, spent a few hours with vocational teachers and students, company workers and experts. The experience gave Yang a wealth of ideas and suggestions that he jotted down in his notebook.

Yang works at the Guangdong Machinery Technician College, and is a deputy to the 14th National People's Congress. "I will grasp every chance I get to speak for the skilled workers," says the 26-year-old, who had been busy preparing suggestions for the "two sessions".

Born in East China's Jiangxi province, Yang has had a passion for craftsmanship since childhood. After graduating from middle school, he studied at a secondary vocational school in Shenzhen, a manufacturing and tech hub in Guangdong, where he mastered the technology of computer numerical control, or CNC, mills.

The technology can be used to produce components and has been widely adopted in the manufacturing industry.

It has been utilized to produce various items, including aluminum alloy frames for mobile phones, molds for plastic cups and auto parts, Yang says.

Upon learning that the Guangdong Machinery Technician College focuses on the cultivation of world-class technicians, Yang decided to further his study at the institute to perfect his skills.

Computer-aided design and coding software demand specific skills from CNC milling operators, whose precision in controlling the machine and knowledge of the structure of the part being milled will significantly influence the accuracy of the final product.

In 2017, at the age of 20, Yang participated in the 44th WorldSkills Competition and won the gold medal in CNC milling.

The competition, also known as the "Olympics for technicians", is a global professional skills promotion event held every two years.

Afterward, Yang decided to stay at the college and became a teacher, devoting himself to vocational education.

"I hope to teach students my skills and impart my experience unreservedly, so that they can use these skills to serve society," he says.

Under Yang's guidance, some of his students have also won gold medals in the competition, while many more secured good employment.

In Yang's eyes, skilled personnel are crucial for the high-quality development of China's manufacturing industry, while vocational education is an important platform to cultivate that skilled talent.

"The government should increase support and investment in vocational education and train more high-quality skilled personnel for industry," he says, adding that improving the social status and treatment of skilled workers is also one of his concerns.