China's coffee training market booms as demand for specialized talent surges

The demand for professionally-trained talents is surging as China's coffee market experiences rapid expansion, driving the growth of the country's coffee training industry.

One such training program has attracted many students like Wu Yang, who has traveled over 1,000 kilometers from Nanning of south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region to Yunnan, China's largest coffee-producing area.

Wu opened a coffee shop in 2017 and later ventured into the coffee bean export business. He believes acquiring more professional skills will help propel his career to new heights.

"As you move up in this industry, you will find that the demand for expertise becomes increasingly high. This has a huge impact on being able to collaborate with others, do procurement, and manage quality control effectively," he said.

Alongside industry participants like Wu, the training program also attracts coffee enthusiasts seeking to deepen their understanding of the craft. The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, from barista and roasting techniques to coffee cultivation and trade.

In addition to private training institutions, vocational colleges in China have also started offering dedicated coffee education programs, partnering with the industry to develop the next generation of coffee professionals.

"Our school established the Dali Coffee Industry College in November 2023. This year's graduating class has 141 students who have completed the coffee-related curriculum and can now obtain the nationally-recognized Barista Certificate," said Li Ruoliang, deputy dean of the Dali Vocational and Technical College of Agriculture and Forestry.

Wu Yirong, deputy secretary-general of the Yunnan Coffee Association, noted the surging demand from enterprises across the province.

"The current job demand in Yunnan's coffee industry exceeds 10,000 positions. During their studies, these students will have the opportunity to take internships that help facilitate their precise employment in the field," she said.

China's coffee training market booms as demand for specialized talent surges

Russia announced on Wednesday that it seized one more settlement in the Donetsk region, while Ukraine reported 97 battles its forces engaged in against Russian forces over the past day.

According to a Wednesday report from the Russian Defense Ministry, Russian forces controlled a settlement in Rivnopil of Donetsk region. Over the past day, attacks were launched on Ukraine forces and caused deaths and injuries. Ukrainian military facilities including tanks, armored vehicles, howitzers, and ammunition depots were destroyed, according to the report, which also said Russian forces had also launched attacks on military airport and energy facilities that are essential for the functioning of Ukraine's military industry.

On the same day, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces released a battle report, claiming its forces engaged in 97 battles on the front lines against Russian forces, who were most active in the directions of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove. In the Pokrovsk direction, Russia launched 24 attacks and in the Kurakhove direction, the fighting was more severe, with 48 attacks being launched, said the report.

Russia claims seizing one more settlement in Donetsk, Ukraine reports 97 battles in forefront