[Photo/China Daily]

"She couldn't help crying when I was cutting it for her. But she never told anyone about it because she didn't want her students to feel sorry about it," says Xiao Weiwei, coordinator at the volunteer center in GFC, as Weddel plans another trip to a student's home on the weekend.

To prepare students for careers, the school works closely with companies like Marriott International, which send senior executives to offer training, internships and work opportunities.

Ng Siaw Shua, a Malaysian who has worked in finance, IT and consulting in the UK for decades, came to help start a new commercial college for the school.

"The school is offering such good visions for the kids, "Ng says, adding that he's eager to help young people who want to start their own businesses.

The school now has about 1,200 students. Generally students who score high enough on the exam for the key universities won't apply for a vocational college, but GFC has even managed to attract some of these students by providing subsidies up to 10,000 yuan ($1,700) a year.

"It's still very hard for vocational colleges to compete with universities as they have been expanding," says Yang, the vice-chancellor.

But the volunteers remain optimistic as they continue to discover the students' potential.

"Now there is a ceiling in the career of these students. But this is only the beginning of an evolutionary process," says Ayers.