On the afternoon of November 30, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, Deputy Minister of South African Department of Higher Education and Training, paid an official visit to Zhejiang Industry & Trade Vocational College (ZJITC). President Yu Chuang and Vice President Wang Yan from ZJITC warmly welcomed the delegation and held in-depth talks on cooperation.
President Yu Chuang briefly introduced the college and highlighted its long-standing partnerships with the South African government, universities and industry institutions. He noted that the jointly established South Africa Silk Road School (China-South Africa Institute of Digital Technology) has been successively selected as both a Silk Road School in Zhejiang Province under China’s B&R Initiative, and as a China-Africa Outstanding Cooperative Project of TVET under the Framework of Future of Africa. These recognitions have been accompanied by a series of tangible outcomes. Yu expressed hope that the South African Department of Higher Education and Training would continue to support policy alignment, intercollegiate cooperation and international student development. He reaffirmed ZJITC’s commitment to deepening vocational education collaboration, thereby contributing to the advancement of China-South Africa relations.
Deputy Minister Dube-Ncube expressed her appreciation for ZJITC’s warm hospitality and commended its achievements in China-South Africa vocational education cooperation. She emphasized that under the strategic guidance of the two countries’ leadership, collaboration in vocational sector has made substantial progress, providing strong support for skills development and talent cultivation in South Africa. She affirmed that the Department of Higher Education and Training would continue to facilitate bilateral cooperation, hoping that ZJITC would further expand its initiatives such as sending outstanding teachers to teach in South Africa, increasing the enrollment of South African students, and jointly developing high-quality teaching resources to help to enhance the standards of vocational education and cultivate more skilled professionals to meet the local economic and social development needs.
Xolani Khumalo, Chief Director of International Relations at the South African Department of Higher Education and Training, emphasized his attention to the South African students studying at ZJITC and expressed his commitment to supporting the college in addressing challenges in teaching and management. He said he looks forward to extending ZJITC’s successful experience in China-South Africa vocational education cooperation to a broader network of South African colleges and universities, jointly building more diverse and sustainable partnerships.
Vice President Wang Yan presented an overview of the college’s educational cooperation with South Africa. He noted that through initiatives such as jointly establishing the South Africa Silk Road School, providing training programs for faculty of South African community colleges, enhancing the China-South Africa Industry-Education Integration Project in Municipal Infrastructure, and enrolling degree-seeking students from South Africa, ZJITC has developed a distinctive “Park-School-Park” training model for international students, which links learning at domestic digital trade parks, the college campus, and overseas industrial parks, laying a solid foundation for deepening China-South Africa vocational education cooperation.
Before the talks, ZJITC hosted a brief welcome ceremony for the visiting delegation. South African students from the School of International Education performed traditional songs and dances, while the members of Tea Art Club from the School of Modern Management demonstrated traditional Chinese tea-making, showcasing the friendship and cultural exchanges between China and South Africa.
After the talks, Deputy Minister Nomusa Dube-Ncube and her delegation visited the School of Optoelectronic Manufacturing. Participants included officials from the South African Department of Higher Education and Training, namely Chief Director of International Relations Xolani Khumalo, Deputy Director for China Relations Khathu Mathelemusa, and Social Outreach Officer in the Deputy Minister’s Office Babalwa Ndaba, together with Ye Yu, Manager of the Overseas Department at Yalong Group, and representatives from ZJITC’s International Cooperation and Exchange Office and School of International Education.
