At the China Annual Conference and Expo for International Education yesterday, several agreements for collaboration in technical and vocational education and training (TVET) were inked by Chinese and Pakistani organizations.

Eight Chinese vocational schools from the provinces of Jiangxi, Sichuan, Gansu, Anhui, and Xinjiang have agreements with Pakistani partners for cooperation. The agreements are designed to increase TVET cooperation in sectors like trade, industry, agriculture, and transportation, among others.

To train Pakistani students in Chinese language and vocational skills, three bases were opened.

Additionally, a China-Pakistan Industry-Education Integration Community was formed to foster the development of talent in industries like electric vehicles, rail transit, and textile and garment production. The program aims to develop skilled, market-oriented experts for Pakistan's expanding sectors. 

In addition, the China-Pakistan TVET-Industrial Center of Excellence formed a Smart Meteorology Professional Committee.

Pakistan's Federal Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, stated in a video address that collaborative programs have been created in fields such as education, robotics, mechanical manufacturing, smart meteorology, drones, e-commerce, livestock, traditional Chinese medicine, healthcare, education, energy, and the Chinese language.

The partnership framework has brought together more than 20 Chinese institutions with dozens of Pakistani colleges, education departments, businesses, and social organizations. To encourage more women to pursue vocational disciplines, two female empowerment bases were established to provide skill training in cooking, tea making, and other trades.

To encourage Chinese language instruction and cross-cultural interaction, 20 institutions in Sindh Province have implemented a new program platform for Chinese language standards, evaluation, teacher preparation, and curriculum reform.

During the 2nd China-Pakistan B2B Investment Summit last month, Siddiqui also emphasized a significant event: the signing of 12 agreements by bilateral institutions and the China-Pakistan TVET-Industrial Center of Excellence.

The need for qualified local experts is increasing quickly as China speeds up its high-quality opening-up, according to Li Jinsong, president of Tang International Education Group. Chinese companies' foreign assets totaled USD 9 trillion by the end of 2023, while their total outbound direct investment was USD 3 trillion. The need for local talent for large international enterprises exceeds 2.7 million, he stated.

Sufyan Ahmed Mian, the education attaché of the Pakistani Embassy in China, stressed the significance of tangible projects to improve youth employability in an interview with China Economic Net. There are almost 150 million persons under 30 in Pakistan. By giving them skills for the digital economy, in particular, we hope to transform that sizable youth population into a tremendous opportunity," he stated.