UNESCO fostering closer cooperation among UNEVOC Centres in China to advance the TVET Agenda

The strategic collaboration among UNEVOC Centres in China is very critical to advance dialogue on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) and skills agenda in China. The five UNEVOC Centres in China held an on-line meeting on the 25 June to assess the progress and strengthen cooperation on TVET in China. The main objective of the on-line consultation of UNEVOC Centres was to establish a solid platform for dialogue and cooperation among UNEVOC Centres in China. 

This was the first virtual on-line consultation of UNEVOC Centres in China hosted by UNESCO Beijing with the support of the UNESCO International Centre for TVET (UNEVOC) in Bonn, Germany. The UNEVOC Centres in China that participated are: Center for Vocational Education Development, Ministry of Education (CVED), Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), Shaanxi Polytechnic Institute (SXPI), Shenzhen Polytechnic University (SZPU), and Zhejiang Technical Institute of Economics (ZJTIE). The five Directors or Heads of the UNEVOC Centres and staff participated in the on-line consultation. 

The meeting started with the welcome remarks by Mr. Robert Parua, Education Programme Specialist at UNESCO Beijing Office and Mr. Calice Olivier Pieume from UNESCO the International Centre for TVET in Bonn. Mr. Parua, highlighted the key achievements in TVET partnership with Chinese UNEVOC centres and Chinese Ministry of Education and highlighted potential areas of collaboration with the UNESCO Beijing Office in the future and 6 UNEVOC Centres in China. Mr. Olivier welcomed the participants and highlighted that as part of UNEVOC International Centre’s global strategy they wish to encourage all UNEVOCs Centres in China to closely coordinate and collaborate in various TVET thematic areas at the country level. They were encouraged and pleased to note that the closer cooperation among the UNEVOC Centres in China and acknowledge UNESCO Beijing to facilitate the first UNEVOC coordination meeting for China. Mr. Olivier was joined by his team from the UNEVOC International Centre in Bonn. 

Mr. Ruairi Gough from UNEVOC Internal centre in Bonn's presentation focused on UNEVOC global strategy, work plan and future expectations. He emphasized UNEVOC International Centre’s mission is to support and facilitate cooperation among UNEVOC centres in China and globally. The strategy includes enhancing the quality of TVET, promoting innovative approaches, and fostering international collaboration among UNEVOC Centres. Mr. Gough highlighted the importance of sharing knowledge and resources among the UNEVOC centres, and the need for continuous improvement to meet the evolving demands of the workforce and align with TVET and Skills training. His speech also highly valued the role of UNEVOC centers in China in advancing the global TVET agenda through local and regional initiatives, and looked forward to further joint projects.

UNEVOC Centres in China then provided updates on their current progress of projects, platforms, activities and future plans for 2024, sharing ideas for potential joint collaboration in the future. Following active discussions, participants offered valuable insights into the diverse projects underway and the importance of working together to ensure the cooperation could provide opportunities to address key issues in the TVET sector.

Mr. Zheng Jian, Director of the International Cooperation and Exchange Division at CVED, and Dr. Xu Jing, Researcher at CVED, expressed the CVED's expectation to work closely with UNEVOC Centers at the upcoming International Conference on TVET Development, organized by the Ministry of Education, and collaborate in the ongoing Digital Transformation of TVET in China project, guided by the UNESCO's global TVET strategy 2022-2029.

Prof. Yang Wengmin, Coordinator of UNEVOC Centre at SZPU, shared recent valuable activities in capacity building, knowledge sharing, and international collaboration. He outlined future plans for 2024, including initiative on Digital Transformation in TVET, Greening TVET, TVET teacher digital skills workshops, and the Belt and Road International Conference on TVET. Prof. Yang proposed that UNEVOC Centres in China, engage in joint research and seminars related to Digital Transformation, SDGs, and Greening TVET, under the leadership of CVED and Chinese Ministry of Education. 

Mr. Qin Jingjun, Coordinator of UNEVOC Centre at SXPI, during his presentation described recent capacity building workshops and collaboration with UNESCO Beijing Office on Global Citizenship Education and joint national projects aligned with the UNSDCF for China. Moving forward, SXPI plans to continue related projects and expand international cooperation with more UNEVOC Centres on Digital and Greening TVET.

Dr. Margarita Pavlova, Director of the UNEVOC Centre at the EdUHK, detailed the centre's diverse projects on Greening TVET and Education for Sustainable Development. She emphasized their extensive collaboration with other centres, UNEVOC Bonn, UNESCO Beijing Office, and TVET experts. Dr. Pavlova proposed the National Leadership Program for TVET Leaders in China and Capacity Building for Greening TVET as promising potential collaboration projects.

Mr. Kang Chunxiao, Coordinator of the UNEVOC Centre at ZJTIE, highlighted their capacity building workshops on new energy vehicle technology and youth entrepreneurship forums themed around green entrepreneurship for a shared future. He suggested that joint projects between UNEVOC centres can be implemented in the areas such as TVET curriculum and vocational qualification standards.

The major outcome of the on-line consultation of the 5 UNEVOC Centres in China was to work closely together by all UNEVOC Centres to share good practices and host joint meetings. All participating UNEVOCs and UNEVOC-Bonn agreed to regularize this UNEVOC consultations via face-to-face annually. Key outcomes of meeting included the identification of potential joint thematic             projects under crucial themes, and the establishment of a framework for enhanced international cooperation. This consultation marked a milestone towards strengthening the network of UNEVOC Centres in China, fostering innovative solutions, and enhancing the quality and relevance of TVET to meet the evolving demands of the global economy and sustainable development goals.

UNEVOC is UNESCO’s International Centre for TVET. Under the guidance of UNEVOC International Centre in Bonn, UNESCO-UNEVOC is working to strengthen the world's TVET systems, promote policy dialogue, and ensure access to quality skills training and development for all by fostering international collaboration and sharing best practices.