1. Case Study: Partnership Opportunities in China
Emma Whitehead, Skills Adviser, China, British Council

2. Current opportunities: Foundation Partnership
Guangdong Dongguan Technician College “We hope that, by learning from UK experiences in vocational education, Dongguan Technician College will deepen reform on its education and teaching, innovate its talent cultivation model, improve its teaching quality (particularly in connection with skill building), introduce UK qualifications/ joint programme delivery and ultimately, in order to improve the employability of its graduates.” The college has 36 specialities for 18 – 21 year olds 2 Travel grants available of £3K Deadline for Travel Grant applications: 19th July 2013 For a scoping visit 23rd – 27th September Deadline for Partnership Proposal: 31st October 2013 Start of Partnership: December 2013 £15,000 is available to contribute to delivery of the successful project proposal. For more information and to apply, see “Partnership Calls” on the website

3. Current opportunities: Start-up
Exploratory travel grants:
£3K available to visit Chinese Colleges
Criteria: EITHER a visit from the Chinese College has already occurred, OR there is already a specific focus
These grants are not available to colleges who have already visited a Chinese college as part of the Principal’s Shadowing Programme
Deadlines for applications: Monthly
Start-up opportunities:
10K of match funding for each partnership
Proposals should be developed in partnership based on the priorities below
Application Rounds:
1: 1 July - 30 September
2: 1 October - 30 December
For more information, see ‘Start-up Scheme’ on the website

4. 55 million workers with specialised skills (2011)
China: Introduction
In China there are:
55 million workers with specialised skills (2011)
13,093 secondary vocational colleges (ages 16-19) with million students – c. half of all students at this level
1,288 tertiary vocational colleges (ages 18-21) with million students
12,900 job training schemes, with million students

5. China: Introduction
In China’s 12th Five-Year Plan (2011 – 2015), Education is placed at the heart of development and reform policy.
In the National People’s Congress work report on Education in March 2010, strengthening vocational education was identified as a key area of focus.
(along with improving the perception and pay of teachers)
This is to address a predicted skills gap:
Demand for highly-skilled workers with vocational qualifications is expected to exceed supply by c. 16 million workers in 2020
This is due to both a geographical and a structural mismatch

6. China Priorities Strengthen TVET Quality of teaching and learning
Student centred learning
National Centres of Excellence: leadership, professional development, quality assurance etc.
Employer Engagement
Competency based standards
Led by industry associations
Engaging private enterprises
Joint solutions to meet employers’ needs for high-skills workers
Expansion of TVET
Rural areas
Attract more students
Prestige

7. In China, we work with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security as well as provincial and local education authorities to select Chinese vocational colleges that have the reputation, quality standards, scale, leadership, ambition and relationships with industry to be effective partners for UK colleges. In the UK, we select partners through competitive applications that are independently reviewed and evaluated.

8. Existing / previous partnerships
8 partnerships under the MoHRSS
4 partnerships under the MoE
The following themes have emerged:
Curriculum development
Employer-centred partnership
World Skills Competition collaboration
Joint product development
Apprenticeships
Quality Assurance
Teacher training and student exchanges
Most commonly requested sectors:
Automotive
Mechanical Engineering
Creative Industry (fashion design, animation )
Information Technology
E-commerce
Hospitality

9. Benefits of previous partnerships
“Working with the British Council in China on the Skills for Employability programme has given Walsall College a unique opportunity to work with one of the largest employers in the sector, as well as a forward thinking vocational educational institute that is a centre of excellence.” Jatinder Sharma, Principal, Walsall College
“Yancheng College seems particularly excited about the emphasis on creative learning in the UK and the focus on the individual learner rather than on the group. Another difference is that in the UK we teach our young people the broader set of skills for employability and self-directed learning – not just technical skills. My students could…learn from Yancheng’s disciplined approach to learning, the behaviours of its students and their thirst for knowledge”
Marion Plant, OBE, Principal and Chief Executive of North Warwickshire and Hinckley College

10. Outcomes of previous partnerships
Chengdu Technician College have started the process of establishing an apprenticeship programme after sending teachers to train to become apprenticeship trainers and assessors at Clydebank College, focussing on Electrical Engineering
Guangzhou Communication & Transport Vocational School introduced new automotive courses and qualifications after teachers undertook training with IMI Awards through their partnership with Central College Nottingham.
Guangzhou GZITTC have been working closely together with Highbury College to develop new curriculum and raise the profile of skills, using World Skills competitions as a focus.

11. British Council support
UK Support:
Facilitating networking and mentoring
Monitoring and Evaluation
China Support:
Facilitating communication and accompanying visits
Providing expertise and advice on the local context
Facilitating networking and mentoring
Recognising and sharing achievement

12. Next Steps Register interest in partnerships with China:
Foundation partnership opportunity
Exploratory travel grant
Start-up opportunities
Inform us of existing relationships with Chinese colleges, or existing areas of focus
For more information about our college partnerships,
please contact Miranda Swanson in the first instance:
Miranda will direct you to Ron Pan to provide advice on
the China context

13. Case Study: Partnership Opportunities in Vietnam

14. Vietnam: introduction
Key priorities: TVET Strategy “Development of TVET is the cause and the responsibility of whole society” The Government is committed to: “Carry out fundamental and drastic reform of state management of vocational training, in order to create momentum for promoting vocational training toward standardization, modernization, socialization, democratization and international integration.” And to: “Strengthen international cooperation in vocational training”
Planned measures include:
Promoting and strengthening the application of information technology in vocational teaching
Developing curricular and textbooks based on curriculum frames or national occupational skills standards
Quality control and quality assurance
Employer / Enterprise engagement

15. Current opportunities: Foundation Partnership
Hanoi Vocational College for High Technology
18 – 23 year olds
5 faculties: Electricity, Mechanics, Electronics, IT and Economics
A partnership focussed on:
Strengthening international cooperation
Training for teaching staff to achieve UK national standards
Transfer of curricula from the UK
UK colleges recognise the qualifications provided by Hanoi College for High Technology
Call to be announced soon. Please see the “Partnership Calls” on the website for more details.