March 27, WIST -- During March 18-27 China-ASEAN TVET Cooperation Delegation organized and led by China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE) paid a working visit to Singapore, Brunei, and Malaysia. Chen Changjiang, vice secretary of the WIST Party Committee visited with the delegation and was invited as the only representative of the vocational colleges to deliver a speech at the Malaysia-China International TVET Cooperation Seminar (MCITCS) 2024. The seminar was held on March 25th at the Sultan Salah Din Abdul Aziz Shah Polytechnic (PSA) in Kuala Lumpur. It was guided by the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia and jointly organized by the Department of Polytechnic Education and Community College and CEAIE. Zhao Changtao, Education Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in Malaysia, attended the meeting, with over 300 representatives from vocational colleges from China and Malaysia attending the meeting.
Chen made a speech with the theme of "Digital Empowerment of International Development in Vocational Education" at the seminar. He stated that in the context of the continuously deepening strategic partnership between China and Malaysia in the new era, it is timely to vigorously promote the digitization of education and comprehensively carry out international development, exchange and cooperation in vocational education. He introduced how WIST, as a High Level Vocational College with Chinese Characteristics construction unit and one of the pilot vocational colleges with digital campus recognized by the Ministry of Education of China, explores and strives for the integration and development of education digitization and internationalization, forming its features and model to go global.
He said that in terms of strengthening internal governance, WIST focuses on implementing IT to support high-quality development of education. Following the concept of "one network, one data center, and one service line" covering the whole campus, advanced technologies such as microservice applications, virtual simulation, and the Internet of Things are introduced to create a "one hall and three platforms" system, promote the integration of IT and education, comprehensively enhance the digital capabilities of the staff and students, and explore a new model of smart campus construction. In terms of international cooperation, WIST has cooperated with The German Chamber of Commerce and Industry to hold a Sino-German vocational education cooperation project, drawing on the experience of Germany's dual system for localization and innovation. WIST also has jointly implemented a series of exchange program with Pima Community College in the United States and Loyalist College of Applied Arts and Technology in Canada. Students who participated in the program have won awards in international skills competition. In addition, WIST and Thai colleges have jointly built an overseas branch in Thailand, and collaborated with Seacon Shipping Group Holdings Limited and Sunda Group to establish overseas training centers and platforms. With the digital teaching methods, WIST has developed multiple teacher training programs, study in China programs, and enterprise employee training programs for countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Nepal, and Myanmar.
Chen said he looks forward to carrying out more practical exchanges and cooperation with Malaysian institutions and enterprises in the fields of computer science, mechanical and electrical engineering, and jointly creating a better tomorrow for vocational education cooperation between China and Malaysia.
During the visit, Chen participated in 2024 Conference on International Industrial Cooperation (Singapore) & China’s Machinery and Electronics Show in Singapore, and Thematic seminar on International Community of Industry and Educational Integration. He conducted research on relevant institutions such as Nanyang Polytechnic, Politeknik Brunei, and Infrastructure University Kuala Lumpur. Gao Wenqian, deputy director of the College-Enterprise Cooperation and Exchange Office, accompanied the visit.
