by Wang Kai

 

BEIJING, Nov 3 (China Economic Net) – The China-Pakistan TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) – Industrial Center of Excellence was unveiled on Friday at the Belt and Road Digital Education Development Forum in Beijing.

 

In a bid to train more Pakistani youth in Chinese language and vocational skills, 15 key disciplines including IoT, automation, textile, big data, engineering, etc. would be prioritised in the following year, with digital curriculum to be developed under a mutually-formulated set of standards, and teachers will be trained to upgrade their vocational knowledge. 

 

Industry-specific committees in textile, resource and environment, and food were set up in tandem, which are expected to equip students with exceptional internship and employment opportunities in these sectors, contributing to economic cooperation and development of Pakistan.  

 

“This move comes in line with the desire for talent by Chinese companies investing in Pakistan and by local companies as well which are catching up with the tide of industrial upgrade”, said Mr. Ammar Muhammad, Secretary General of China Pakistan International Industrial Academic Integration Alliance. So far, the alliance has attracted the participation of over 300 universities and colleges, and more than 80 enterprises in China and Pakistan, providing vocational training in a variety of key sectors such as agriculture, information, health, energy, etc. 

 

Apart from skill development, the establishment of eight smart Chinese language centers is listed in the first-year plan of the TVET – Industrial Center, with the first one unveiled at the conference, which would be supported by Liaoning Petrochemical College. 

 

China-Pakistan cooperation on vocational education has been on the fast track since 2021. Earlier this year, the first IT City of Pakistan was inaugurated in Lahore under bilateral cooperation, providing local young people with training on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, graphic design, cybersecurity, data analytics, machine learning, and game development. 

 

“Last year, Chinese enterprises registered RMB 220 billion of non-financial investment in Belt and Road countries, up by 28% year on year. In many scenarios, the demand for low-skilled workforce shrinks, such as unmanned factories. This is happening at a faster pace than ever, urging us to build a local service ecology while helping partner countries cope with the impact of new technologies,” said Mr. Li Jinsong, President of Tang International Education Group, an organizer of the forum and herald of the “Chinese language plus skill development” mode of vocational education.