Large-Scale eVTOL Training Initiative Launches
Cultivating the next generation of aviation professionals.
Author’s note —
In 2019, I authored a chapter titled “The Case of Cambodia: Challenges in Training the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals” for the book Engaging the Next Generation of Aviation Professionals.
The chapter draws on my experience as an aviation instructor, where I launched the first English-language aviation program at Cambodia’s regulatory training arm. I also funded and ran a free community program, aimed at cultivating youth awareness and understanding of aviation and aerospace.
Both initiatives focused on introducing fundamental aviation concepts, highlighting career pathways, and explaining the role of air transport to students who otherwise had little exposure to the industry.
At its height, the community program reached up to 50 million people per month on social media.
I paid interns for translation work. We quickly learned that views didn’t come from YouTube, as many data plans included free access to Facebook.
Having traveled extensively throughout the Mekong region, I saw firsthand how limited opportunities can be for rural youth, including Indigenous communities.
When I was not writing about aviation, I would try my hand at reportage — for example, documenting the lives of child miners for the Fall 2014 issue of Verge.
That type of reporting stayed with me.
Children risking their lives in dangerous mines are not thinking about flight schools or going to the moon. Their daily reality is survival, not aspiration.
In Cambodia, I have worked to change that, and I continue to speak in communities and technical vocational schools across the country. Today, my former mentees include commercial pilots, cabin crew, engineers, and air traffic controllers, among others.
These outcomes are possible—but far from guaranteed.
Any discussion of talent development must first acknowledge that millions of young people are excluded from the very idea of a "pathway" — not by lack of ability, but by poverty, geography, neglect, and other structural barriers.
When we speak of engaging the next generation of aviation professionals, we are speaking of a fraction of the world’s youth. The question is not whether to build talent pipelines, but how to do so without ignoring those who will never reach the gate.
My experience working with youth over the past 25+ years has reinforced a simple observation—talent is everywhere, but access is not.
Which segues us into today’s news.
Before we get into it, an aspiring eVTOL professional from India recently reached out to me about an internship for his brother, who is currently studying Computer Science and has strong skills in data engineering and analytics.
If you’re able to offer an internship—ideally a paid one—please feel free to get in touch.
Now, let’s get into the news.
Large-Scale eVTOL Training Initiative Launches
On April 21, the China Machinery Industry Education Association, together with Machinery Industry Press and Guangzhou Qingyan Huayuan Education Technology Co., Ltd. (广州清研华园教育科技有限公司), announced the “Low-Altitude Set Sail” 100-School Support Action.
The program will provide 10 million yuan (approximately US$1.4 million) worth of eVTOL simulation and testing resources free of charge to 100 vocational schools across China.
Each selected institution will receive a resource package valued at 100,000 yuan (approximately US$14,600), which includes 30 student accounts, one teacher account, and teaching modules covering flight control, system simulation, and route planning.
Access is valid through the end of 2026.
According to the association, the program prioritizes schools that already offer UAV-related programs or plan to apply for new low-altitude majors in 2026.
Applicants must submit a three-year development plan detailing enrollment scales, laboratory construction, and school-enterprise cooperation with companies such as EHang and ARIDGE.
The announcement noted that 215 higher vocational institutions had already introduced new low-altitude economy-related majors.
The “Low-Altitude Set Sail” implementing partner, Guangzhou Qingyan Huayuan Education Technology, was the winner of a 4.18 million yuan (approximately US$611,000) low-altitude training base project at Guangzhou Technician College earlier this month.
According to the government tender document, Qingyan Huayuan serves as the course provider, focusing on consulting services for program applications, curriculum development, teacher training, base construction, and internship placements.
The contract lists EHang as the hardware supplier for the training equipment, including the EH216‑S eVTOL aircraft, ground control station, mobile discharge units, AGV transport tractor, and battery balancers.
The program’s design drew from a national professional development seminar held earlier in January.
On January 14–15, Guangzhou City Polytechnic hosted the National Vocational College Low-Altitude Aircraft Technology and Equipment Professional Construction Seminar and Textbook Development Launch Meeting.
According to the Qingyan Chelian Group, the event brought together over 60 participants from 7 provinces and 25 vocational colleges and technician institutes. Discussions focused on industry‑education integration, talent development systems, simulation technology, and national textbook standards.
A dedicated textbook workshop focused on three core titles — Introduction to Low-Altitude Aircraft, Low-Altitude Aircraft Simulation Flight Testing, and Low-Altitude Aircraft Assembly, Adjustment, and Maintenance.
EHang joined the seminar as both a presenter and site host; participants also visited EHang’s Suigang Port exhibition hall in Guangzhou.
China Machinery Industry Education Association (中国机械工业教育协会)Established in 1993, the China Machinery Industry Education Association is a national non‑profit organization registered with the Ministry of Civil Affairs and supervised by the State‑owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC).
Its membership includes over 600 universities, vocational colleges, secondary schools, technician institutes, enterprises, and research institutions within the machinery industry.
The association acts as a coordinating body between government and educational institutions, focusing on talent development, professional standards, and industry‑education collaboration for China’s machinery and equipment sectors.
Machinery Industry Press (机械工业出版社)
Founded in 1952, Machinery Industry Press is a state‑owned publishing house under SASAC. It specializes in technical and vocational education materials, including textbooks for engineering, manufacturing, automation, and related fields.
The press has 460 textbooks designated for China’s 14th Five‑Year Plan for vocational education. It is responsible for developing the low‑altitude economy textbook series mentioned in the April 2026 program.
Guangzhou Qingyan Huayuan Education Technology Co., Ltd. (广州清研华园教育科技有限公司)
Founded in April 2016, Guangzhou Qingyan Huayuan Education Technology Co., Ltd. is a private education technology company based in Guangzhou. It was established through a collaboration between GAC Trading (a subsidiary of GAC Group) and the Tsinghua University Suzhou Automotive Research Institute.
The company operates as a subsidiary of Shenzhen Qingyan Chelian Information Technology Co., Ltd. (Qingyan Chelian Group), a broader educational technology enterprise founded in 2015 and incubated by Tsinghua University.