Recently, the China-South Africa Vocational Education Principals’ Exchange Conference was successfully held at Hangzhou Polytechnic. Co-hosted by the National Teaching Steering Committee for E-commerce Vocational Education and the Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Center in South Africa, the event brought together representatives from a number of vocational colleges in China and South Africa to discuss cooperation in advancing the internationalization of vocational education.

At the conference, Zhu Yangqiong, Vice Dean of the School of International Education at Zhejiang Industry & Trade Vocational College (ZJITC), briefed the participants on the college’s progress in international education, its distinctive achievements, and its plans for international exchanges.

During the event, ZJITC formally signed a memorandum on the international cooperation project of the Belt and Road E-Commerce Valley with Lephalale TVET College and Waterberg TVET College of South Africa. The parties will carry out comprehensive and in-depth cooperation in such areas as jointly developing professional standards, promoting mutual recognition of professional certifications, co-developing teaching resources, strengthening faculty development, and facilitating exchanges and visits between teachers and students. By leveraging the platform advantages of the Belt and Road Initiative, the parties will promote coordinated development of vocational education.

As an important extension of the ZJITC’s South Africa Silk Road Institute, this cooperation has further consolidated the foundation for China–Africa cooperation in vocational education. Going forward, the college will take this opportunity to steadily advance the implementation of all areas of cooperation. It will work together with its South African partners to explore diverse models of collaboration, and deepen integration in such fields as jointly developing academic programs, cultivating teaching staff, and promoting reciprocal visits by teachers and students. Relying on the strengths of the Silk Road Institute platform, the college will build a talent pipeline for technical and skilled professionals and promote the coordinated development of vocational education in both China and South Africa through practical cooperation.