This cross-continental journey has accelerated the high-quality development of GTVTC's internationalization. Recently, Chen Xiangru, Secretary of the CPC Committee of GTVTC, led a delegation on a five-day visit to the UK for in-depth discussions and renewal of Chinese-foreign cooperative education agreements, aiming to enhance quality. The visit yielded substantial results: it not only strengthened the long-term partnership with South Essex College in the UK, but also laid a solid foundation for GTVTC to introduce high-quality educational resources and explore new areas of international collaboration.

Renewing Chinese-British joint education agreements and enhancing international exchange profile

During the visit, GTVTC and South Essex College in the UK successfully renewed cooperative agreements for two Chinese-foreign educational programs: "Digital Media Technology Programme (Graphic Design)" and "Mechatronics Programme." The two programs were approved by the Department of Education of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 2018 and registered with the Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China. To date, they have trained over 360 high-caliber technical professionals with an international outlook. By adopting the British model for educational facility development, three internationalized educational venues have been established, including the Creative Training Center for International Cooperation in Digital Media, and the Smart Teaching Workshop for International Cooperative Education. The British higher education system and eight core courses have been introduced, and more than ten courses and curriculum standards have been developed.

At the renewal ceremony, Secretary Chen Xiangru reviewed the fruitful achievements made by both institutions since the start of their cooperative education in 2018. He expressed his hope to further optimize the cooperation mechanism through ongoing project collaboration, deepen integration and innovation in talent development, faculty building, joint curriculum development, and other areas, and enhance the quality and efficiency of cooperative education.

Denise Brown, Principal of South Essex College, spoke highly of the achievements in the cooperative education programs between the two institutions. She expressed commitment to continue supporting the programs' sustainable development and to jointly explore broader opportunities for collaboration with the Chinese side.

Group photo at the signing ceremony with South Essex College

Discussing implementation measures for development cooperation and exploring new approaches to in-depth collaboration

Prior to the renewal ceremony, the delegation held in-depth academic discussions with their UK counterparts at South Essex College. Both sides organized seminars on joint education for the Digital Media Technology and Mechatronics Technology programs, engaging in comprehensive exchanges on key areas such as curriculum resource integration, faculty training, and quality assurance. The two parties analyzed challenges encountered over the past eight years of cooperation and proposed mutually agreed solutions, which will further enhance the quality of the cooperative education and strengthen the brand influence and appeal of our Chinese-British joint education programs. Both parties also agreed on the specific terms of the cooperative education program agreements and financial agreements, providing institutional safeguards for the ongoing and standardized operation of the collaboration.

Negotiating the future expansion framework for cooperation and establishing a new platform for talent development

To expand the international cooperation network, during the visit, the delegation also visited University College London to engage in discussions and exchanges on topics such as teacher training and student exchange programs. The two sides explored how to leverage the educational resources of world-class universities to pilot exchange student and teacher development programs, broaden international exchange channels, provide students with opportunities to experience world-class education, comprehensively enhance the international teaching level and research capabilities of faculty, and establish a new platform for building an international teaching team and cultivating globally skilled technical talent.

Focusing on rail transit industry standards and supporting the internationalization of Chinese standards

Another key agenda of this visit is to gain a comprehensive understanding of the British railway standards system, providing a foundation for jointly developing international standards for rail transit and exporting Chinese rail technology standards to ASEAN. The delegation visited the Railway Safety and Standards Board of the UK, where they conducted an in-depth study of British railway industry standards and their applications, and gained an understanding of rail transit vocational education programs and curriculum design guided by these standards. This exchange will help align GTVTC's rail transit program with international standards and explore the establishment of a cooperative education model that combines a global perspective with local characteristics.

Focusing on regional education and cooperation and building a new model of internationalized schooling

This visit is a concrete step in implementing the Ministry of Education's "Plan for the Construction of High-Level Vocational Schools and Majors with Chinese Characteristics (2025-2029)", and is also an important initiative for GTVTC to expand international exchange and cooperation, thus enhancing the global influence of China's vocational education.

Looking ahead, GTVTC will use the outcomes of this visit as an opportunity to further deepen cooperation with the UK and other countries in the field of vocational education. GTVTC will actively coordinate efforts to "bring in" and "go global" with educational resources, promoting a comprehensive enhancement of its level of internationalization.

Content source reviewed by: Yang Hongcheng

First review and proofreading: Lan Dongyu

Second review and proofreading: Lin Bo

Third review and proofreading: Wei Yao