Education is one of the best ways to eliminate poverty in society. According to China's Ministry of Education, the central government spent 169 billion yuan, or over 24 billion US dollars, on educational subsidies last year. Private schools can also play a vital role in providing quality education for impoverished students. CGTN's He Weiwei visited China's first charity vocational college in Qingyuan city in Guangdong Province to bring us this report.

23-year-old Chen Jiaodi is a housekeeping manager for a hotel in Qingyuan city. She got the job after graduating from college four months ago, and is quite satisfied with it. She is also grateful to her school, as some three years ago it seemed poverty would destroy her chances of studying.

CHEN JIAODI, HOUSEKEEPING MANAGER COUNTRY GARDEN HOLIDAY ISLANDS HOTEL "I burst into tears when I enrolled, as I had almost given up hope of studying. My family couldn't afford my tuition for higher education, so I applied for a charity vocational college. It was my last chance, and I got it."

HE WEIWEI QINGYUAN CITY, GUANGDONG PROVINCE This is the school that changed Chen's life. It's China's first private vocational school, providing free education for students from impoverished areas.

Founded by a businessman in 2014, the vocational college now has a thousand students. It offers seven majors related to hotel management, construction and preschool education. Besides tuition, the college also provides accommodation and covers living expenses. The school says its students don't need to pay a penny, but they ARE expected to study hard.

SU CHENGBO, VICE HEAD GUANGDONG COUNTRY GARDEN POLYTECHNIC "We believe the best way to help a family out of poverty is to educate its child. We teach them skills and help them find decent jobs, to prevent poverty from passing down to the next generation."

The vocational college provides practical training alongside theory courses. It collaborates on internship plans with local companies, to help students gain more experience.

XIANG QILIN, STUDENT GUANGDONG COUNTRY GARDEN POLYTECHNIC "During summer and winter holidays, we can choose to go home or apply for an internship. The school will help us find suitable positions."

So far, 290 students have graduated from the college and started working. Graduates say it's not just about finding a job, but also giving hope to their families. HWW, CGTN, QINGYUAN CITY, GUANGDONG PROVINCE.