Achieving excellence through partnership

Reflections from China: experiences, outcomes and impact

Kathleen ZhongDirector Skills and Vocational Education British Council China

www.britishcouncil.org 1

China experiences – the big pictureInternational collaboration in vocational education

www.britishcouncil.org 2

Decision on accelerating the development of

modern vocational education

www.britishcouncil.org 3

China-UK college partnerships

www.britishcouncil.org 4

Overview of China International skills partnership

www.britishcouncil.org 5

In China, International Skills Partnerships are and will continue to be a pillar of our Skills work in 2014/15, because they provide the most efficient platform on which we can explore and build on the collaborations most practical and beneficial to both the UK and China

www.britishcouncil.org 6

PRINCIPALS’ JOINT STATEMENTSBirmingham Statement: Nov 2013The two sides identified three areas for collaboration- Cultural exchange - Developing high skill vocational education systems - Raising the profile and status of vocational education

Tianjin Statement: June 2014We hope that principals from the two countries will continue to work in the more

specific areas of:

- Curriculum development, on-line resources sharing

- Industrial links and apprenticeships

- Student progression

- Consortium collaboration

Why partnerships?

www.britishcouncil.org 7

UK-China college collaboration:What do UK colleges want?

UK-China college collaboration:

The conditions need to be right

The partnership needs to be:

Special - to make the extra effort worthwhile

Time-limited - with clear boundaries and controls

Active - genuinely building on the skills and resources of the partners

Measurable - with the goals and results clearly established

Problem-centred - with genuine issues to work on and find solutions to

Review on Budget

 

What is critical for partnerships?

Shared long term vision

Mutual benefits

Sustainability

Cultural awareness

Commitment from leadership

Communication

Commitment of resources

Understand each other’s strengths and demands

UK-China Skills Partnerships:

Themes and Models

All UK-China college partnerships focus on one or more of the following themes and models::

 

• Skills competitions • Modern Apprenticeship • Developing innovative teaching and training models• Curriculum design • Staff and student exchanges

Industry-led consortia

partnershipsIndustry-led consortia partnerships, which are driven by employers in the UK and in China and involve colleges and other actors and focus on a specific industry

Employers in CHINA

Employers in UK

College –College partnership

WorldSkills Legacy

PartnershipsWorld Skills Legacy Partnerships focus on building up students’ abilities through participation in national and international skills competition

Skill Zone Consortium

Partnership

A consortium from Zhongshan has set up a Skills Zone partnership with a consortium of skills organisations from the North of England. They are working on a range of issues, from apprenticeships to teacher training to student exchange.

Challenges in Partnership Different systems

No dedicated responsible person

Not part of college development strategy

No clear goals

Communication Platform

UK China Skills PartnershipE-Newsletter

• Information sharing and updates

• Best practice sharing• Opportunities • Network building• Impact promotion• Cultural exchange

Outcomes

- Increased understanding and aspiration for international collaboration in vocational education

- Explored innovative approaches to maximize the benefit of international partnerships

- Developed various models to showcase how partnership work in China context

- Enhanced exchanges and capacity building between China and the UK

- Improved the participation and perception in vocational education

www.britishcouncil.org 20

There must be a teacher for me among any three travellers

- Confucius