The aspiring tradies will use the internet to instruct students at Shanghai Power Industry School to build battery chargers from kits assembled in Berwick and shipped to China.

Each of the 12 Berwick students will use a laptop, webcam, earphones and microphone to instruct their Chinese counterparts over three sessions.

Course teacher Lachlan Maclean said the joint project required students to use their technical skills and also to develop their cultural awareness and oral communication skills.

"These are all employability skills.

"The idea is to expand young minds and put them in touch with students doing a similar course to theirs.

"The Chinese students are the same age and in a similar position in life."

Mr Maclean and the TEC's ICT co-ordinator, Keith McGinn, devised the project after visiting the Chinese school in June.

They anticipate a few bumps will need to be ironed out when the project goes live.

"I think our students are a little nervous about contacting strangers overseas."

Conversations will be held in English and the TEC students had rehearsed with Chinese exchange students.

"Not only will they have the language challenge but the internet connection will have a two or three second delay.

"It's actually going to be quite a challenging little project for them."