ISLAMABAD: Chinese and Pakistani officials signed a package of cooperation documents and launched joint programs to advance vocational education in various disciplines this week, Pakistani state media reported on Thursday, aiming to integrate the needs of various industries with skills training.
The agreements were announced at the “Seminar on International Cooperation and Exchange: Integration of Industry and Education in Vocational Education between China and Pakistan” held in China’s capital Beijing this Tuesday.
Twenty-one items were signed and five cooperation platforms were unveiled between the two sides, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported. These items and platforms covered professional standards, shared teaching resources, faculty and curriculum development and enterprise-linked training bases.
“Vocational education has the ingredients to transform the dreams of young people into jobs, skills and employment,” Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi was quoted as saying by APP.
Under the Professional Standards and International Teaching Resource Database track, partners agreed to develop standards and resources in disciplines such as Culinary Arts & Nutrition, Fashion and Costume Design, Food Inspection and Testing, Supply Chain Operation, Fine Chemical Technology, Modern Agriculture Production, and Information Security Technology Applications, the APP said.
Pakistan’s National Vocational and Technical Training Commission (NVTTC), provincial technical education and training bodies also took part in the event.
A second set of vocational education agreements established workshops and colleges aligned with priority sectors.
Examples include the Saishang Workshop in culinary training, a China–Pakistan Automotive Overseas Workshop for New Energy Vehicle Technology involving Hunan Automotive Engineering Vocational University, NAVTTC and the MG JW Automobile Pakistan Limited company.
Vocational training that helps equip young people with skills is important for a country like Pakistan with a large youthful population.
Islamabad is also keen to equip its workforce with skills aligned with the latest industry requirements to enhance overseas employment opportunities and boost remittance inflows.
