On November 14, the 2023 TVET Leadership Programme on Digital Transformation was successfully launched in the Academy of Traditional Chinese Studies. A total of 23 education officials and leaders of vocational colleges and university from 17 countries in Asia Pacific and Africa gathered together to learn the concepts, standards, programs and cases of digital transformation, enhance the global leadership of digital transformation in vocational and technical education, and further promote the digital transformation of vocational education.

A total of 23 education officials and leaders of vocational colleges and university from 17 countries in Asia Pacific and Africa attended the conference

At the opening ceremony, Robert Parua, Education Officer of UNESCO’s Multi-Sectoral Regional Office for East Asia, affirmed the positive role of our university in promoting the digital transformation of vocational and technical education worldwide. He encouraged the students to cherish this rare opportunity to learn more and see more in the learning process, change their ideas, and formulate strategies to promote practical actions as soon as possible in order to facilitate the digital transformation of their region.

In the keynote report, Yang Xinbin, Secretary of Party Committee of SZPU and UNESCO Chair on Digitalization of Vocational and Technical Education, gave an in-depth analysis of the development of China’s digital economy, the innovation trend of digital technology and the richness of digital application scenarios with the title of “Seizing the opportunities of digital transformation and promoting the high-quality development of vocational education”, and pointed out the important position of vocational education at the national strategy and policy level. He elaborated on the opportunities and challenges faced by the high-quality development of vocational education, described the goals, ideas, tasks and measures to realize the upgrading of vocational education, and focused on analyzing the four major paths of “digitalization + manufacturing”, “digitalization + localization”, “digitalization + new ecology” and “digitalization + internationalization”, and vividly demonstrated the new acts, new responsibilities, new images and new heights of vocational education in the digital transformation. He also shared the experience and achievements of our university in deepening professional connotations, transforming curriculum systems, upgrading practical training environments, serving localization, enhancing digital literacy, innovating teaching methods, promoting vocational education transformation and realizing international development.

Participants said that as the presiding unit of chair on digital transformation of vocational and technical education, SZPU has played a well-deserved role, providing logical ideas, theoretical frameworks and solutions for the digital transformation of global vocational education. Participants from all over the world said that SZPU’s digital transformation programs, paths and cases set a benchmark for promoting digital transformation in the future, and prepared them with awareness to drive digital transformation.

SZPU Vice President Li Yue introduced the university’s important progress in system construction, talent training, teacher ability improvement and digital transformation of teaching and learning, hoping that the event will further promote international cooperation and push forward digital innovation in the field of vocational and technical education.

The participants visited the training rooms of the School of Artificial Intelligence, the School of Electronic and Communication Engineering, the School of Automotive and Transportation Engineering, the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering and the Maker Center of the School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. In the follow-up study, experts on digital transformation of vocational education from Huawei, UNESCO Higher Education Innovation Center and other organizations will jointly discuss topics such as school-enterprise cooperation, digital transformation practice, digital education resource construction and digital transformation strategy of colleges and universities.

The participants visited the training room

The workshop will last until November 18. This event is one of our important business activities for the first period (2022-2026) of UNESCO Chair on Digitalization of Vocational and Technical Education.

(Asia-Africa Center)