1. Achieving excellence through partnership Reflections from China: experiences, outcomes and impact Kathleen Zhong Director Skills and Vocational Education British Council China www.britishcouncil.org

2. China experiences – the big picture • International collaboration in vocational education www.britishcouncil.org

3. Decision on accelerating the development of modern vocational education www.britishcouncil.org

4. China-UK college partnerships www.britishcouncil.org

5. Overview of China International skills partnership 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 STATEMENTS • Birmingham Statement: Nov 2013 • The 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 2014 • We 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 www.britishcouncil.org

7. Why partnerships? www.britishcouncil.org

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

9. UK-China college collaboration:

10. 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

11. Review on Budget

12. 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

13. 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

14. Industry-led consortia partnerships Industry-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 UK Employers in CHINA

15. College –College partnership

16. WorldSkills Legacy Partnerships • World Skills Legacy Partnerships focus on building up • students’ abilities through participation in national and • international skills competition

17. 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.

18. Challenges in Partnership • Different systems • No dedicated responsible person • Not part of college development strategy • No clear goals

19. Communication Platform UK China Skills Partnership E-Newsletter • Information sharing and updates • Best practice sharing • Opportunities • Network building • Impact promotion • Cultural exchange

20. 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

21. There must be a teacher for me among any three travellers - Confucius