Lingnan polytechnic targets global outreach

Guangdong province is actively promoting the development of the Lingnan Artisan Polytechnic program, aiming to create a synergistic effect of the vocational colleges across the southern province and pool resources for international expansion.

Lingnan Artisan Polytechnic is a flagship program launched by Guangdong to promote vocational education cooperation between China and other countries while supporting the joint construction of the Belt and Road Initiative. It aims to cultivate high-caliber technical professionals with global vision and specialized skills.

The program has so far attracted 22 member units, mostly vocational colleges, with the province's education department offering each an investment of 200,000 yuan ($28,370) for construction and expansion of international cooperation. Through international faculty development, curriculum standard exports, and industry-academia partnerships, the universities and colleges will be able to promote the "going global" of vocational education resources and support the industrial development needs of countries involved in BRI.

Fang Shusheng, an inspector at the Guangdong Department of Education, urged further advancing of Sino-foreign exchanges and cooperation to accelerate construction of the Lingnan Artisan Polytechnic in the months ahead.

Fang said the move aims to train more interdisciplinary talents that meet the demand of modern education through growing global collaboration.

He made the remarks at the Guangdong province "Belt and Road" Vocational Education Alliance 2025 annual activities held in November in Guangzhou, capital of Guangdong.

More than 200 representatives from 42 domestic and 15 overseas universities and colleges, beside 20 cooperative enterprises, attended the event, which included keynote speeches, lectures from Sino-foreign experts and round-table meetings.

Sino-foreign universities and colleges signed seven cooperation projects, covering university-university partnerships, university-enterprise collaboration, and international order-based training programs, which align with the needs of international vocational education cooperation and the directions of industrial development.

The event, which has been held for eight years, has now become an important platform for pooling wisdom from various sectors and fostering in-depth cooperation, according to Fang.

"Universities and colleges around the world must fully recognize the significance of openness and cooperation in the education sector in the new era and actively promote the internationalization of vocational education with a broader global perspective," Fang said.

"Meanwhile, we should build global consensus and share responsibilities, deeply engage in the development of the global vocational education governance system, take an active lead in formulating international vocational education rules and standards, as well as contribute Guangdong's strength to global education governance," he said.

Fang's remarks received a positive response from Sino-foreign officials and vocational educators during the event.

Ma Renting, president of Guangzhou Polytechnic University, said his university has established cooperative relations with more than 20 countries and regions, creating a cooperation platform that spans major countries involved in the BRI.

"Through conducting Sino-foreign cooperative education, we will systematically cultivate interdisciplinary professionals who are proficient in Chinese, familiar with the culture, and skilled in specialized technologies," he said.

Ma promised his university would advance the construction of the Lingnan Artisan Polytechnic with high standards, while precisely cultivating local technical talents urgently needed by countries involved in the BRI, and steadily propelling the "vocational education going global" initiative toward substantial depth.

He urged all member units of the Lingnan Artisan Polytechnic to leverage the alliance as a bond, jointly plan and implement more practical cooperation measures, and collectively build a BRI vocational education community in the following years.

Sounantha Souvanlasy, dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Health Sciences in Laos, highlighted in-depth exchanges with colleagues from the Guangdong Food and Drug Vocational College, noting that both parties have reached a basic cooperation agreement.

The initiative represents a practical step for the two universities to complement each other's strengths and pursue common development, and is an extension of educational cooperation in the medical and health field between China and Laos, she said.

"It is bound to cultivate more talents with international perspectives and proficient professional skills for both countries and inject new vitality into the coordinated development of the health industry of China and Laos," she added.

Sombat Naluang, director of the Thailand Institute of Vocational Education Northern, said vocational education cooperation between China and Thailand has grown in recent years.

The collaboration between the Thai institute and Guangdong AIB Polytechnic has given birth to a "Chinese + Vocational Skills" learning center, providing a multidimensional platform for the youth of both nations through e-commerce training and traditional culture seminars.

Naluang said his institute would further deepen collaboration, venture into new fields like digital skills and green technologies, and jointly cultivate more high-caliber professionals.

"Through these collaborative initiatives, we have not only enhanced students' competency in the employment market but also strengthened the bonds of friendship and trust between our two peoples. And it vividly embodies the spirit of the BRI -mutual learning and mutually beneficial cooperation," Naluang said.

zhengcaixiong@chinadaily.com.cn