November 17th, the Founding Ceremony of International Alliance for Vocational Education Cooperation between Shandong Province and the Belt and Road Countries (B&R Countries) and the Forum on International Cooperation in Vocational Education between the B&R Countries, initiated by SFTC and jointly sponsored by the Department of Commerce and the Department of Education of Shandong Province, was held in SFTC’s Huangdao base. The Alliance was to further open up the vocational education in Shandong, and to further promote international cooperation in education, culture, technology, trade and other fields between the vocational colleges and enterprises in Shandong and the B&R Countries. Participants of the Forum include over 160 foreign representatives of educational departments and institutions from 18 B&R Countries, and 190 representatives from 116 local universities, colleges and enterprises. SFTC president Diao Jiandong presided over the ceremony.
Mr. Bai Hao, Deputy director-general of Shandong Education Department, addressed the opening ceremony to show support for the founding of the Alliance from the local education authority. He emphasized that based on its dominant projects including China-Aid programs, college-enterprise cooperation and international exchanges, SFTC should make further contributions to the development and opening up of vocational education in Shandong Province by way of setting up a cooperation platform between Shandong colleges and those from the B&R Countries.
Mr. Zhang Xingcheng, Deputy Inspector of the Department of Commerce of Shandong Province, emphasized that the Alliance should serve as a bridge of vocational education of Shandong and the B&R Countries, and also helped to link local enterprises with the local vocational education circle. The Alliance shall focus on cultivating technical talents and open up multiple links beyond economy and trade.
Mr. Lin Lingjia, Party Secretary of SFTC, promised that the Alliance will aim to coordinate the advantages and resources of vocational colleges in Shandong and promote colleges and the B&R Countries to carry out the following tasks, establishing more talent training, vocational training, technology research and development bases along the B&R countries; jointly launching vocational skills competition with the B&R countries; enrolling more international students from the B&R countries; exporting professional teaching standards, curriculum standards, textbooks and other quality teaching resources to the B&R countries; assisting Shandong enterprises in their “going-out” to the B&R Countries; and organizing the co-cultivation of international talent training bases between the vocational colleges and those enterprises with major overseas projects.
The Public Relations Commissioner of China-Arab States Cooperation and Development Association, said that the unprecedented cooperation between China and the Arab countries marked a “New Silk Road” of an everlasting China-Arab friendship. In the face of economic globalization, China and Arab countries should remain committed to win-win cooperation and strive for the rejuvenation of China and the Arab world.
In recent years, the Education Department of Shandong attaches great importance to the internationalization of vocational education. Vocational colleges have played their roles in cooperating with foreign vocational institutes, enrolling international students, constructing overseas training centers. Since 2012, SFTC had provided over 100 training seminars for 3000 officials and technicians from more than 100 developing countries, including 11 seminars for ministerial-level officials, 13 overseas seminars, and several overseas training bases were built. During the training, many seminar participants consulted about studying in China, and their interests are in line with the programs provided by vocational colleges in Shandong. The establishment of the Alliance will pool together the professional education resources of Shandong province to construct a platform between Shandong and the B&R Countries, so as to enhance opening up and to extend the international influence of the vocational education of Shandong.
