The 2023 China-ASEAN Tea Industry Vocational Education Cooperation Forum and the Inauguration Ceremony of National Community of Integration of Production and Education of Tea Industry, sponsored by Department of Education of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region and hosted by Guangxi Vocational and Technical College, were held simultaneously on September 15th at Guangxi Vocational and Technical College.
The 2023 China-ASEAN Tea Industry Vocational Education Cooperation Forum is one of the parallel forums of the 2023 China-ASEAN Vocational Education Exhibition and Forum. Centered around the need for the upgrade of the China-ASEAN Free Trade Area 3.0, the forum focused on the theme "Tea and the World, Resource Sharing, and Coordinated Development."This forum invited Liu Zhonghua, academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, and more than 100 representatives from Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Maldives and other countries, as well as domestic colleges and enterprises to discuss strategies for promoting high-quality development of vocational education in the tea industry.
As the host institution, Guangxi Vocational and Technical College saw this as an opportunity to collaborate with domestic and ASEAN colleges, enterprises, and industry associations to establish a platform for sharing teaching resources and industry-academia cooperation. Together, they will engage in talent development, technical services, and cultural and academic exchanges, jointly creating a new era of "co-building and sharing" in ASEAN vocational education.
During the forum, speeches were delivered by representatives from the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Technical Education Development, Department of Education of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangxi State Farms Co., Ltd., China Tea Co., Ltd., and Guangxi Vocational and Technical College.
Keynote reports were given by academician Liu Zhonghua , Ms.Fanni from IRITC, Indonesia, Prof. Wan Xiaochun from Anhui Agricultural University, China, Dr. Ranjith from UWU, Sri Lanka, Qin Ziyan from Go Study Global Education, China, and Liang Yu, the President of Guangxi Vocational and Technical College. Their presentations focused on topics such as "Tea Technology Innovation Leads the Development of the Tea
Industry," "Current Status and New Opportunities in the Development of Tea Industry in Indonesia," "Implementing the Integration of Tea Culture, Tea Industry, and Tea Technology, with Technological Support for Industrial Development and Rural Revitalization," "Sri Lankan Tea Industry: Current Status, Challenges and Future Directions," "Silk Road Tea Institute Branding and Prospect," and "Practice and Exploration of Chinese Characteristics High-Level Major Group Construction of Tea Tree Cultivation and Tea Leaf Processing."
Launching Ceremony for the "Silk Road Tea Institute"
Co-building the "Silk Road Tea Institute" as an innovative hub for China-ASEAN vocational education. The "Silk Road Tea Institute," jointly established by Guangxi Vocational and Technical College, Mae Fah Luang University,Thailand, Research Institute for Tea and Cinchona, Indonesia, Uva Wellassa University,Sri Lanka, and Northern Mountainous Agriculture and Forestry Science Institute, has officially launch its brand during this forum. Additionally, it engaged in in-depth discussions regarding mechanisms construction, standardization, faculty development, digital empowerment, and other related issues. In the future, this collaborative project will significantly enhance exchanges and cooperation in vocational education within the tea industry between China and ASEAN countries. It will promote collaboration on tea culture, tea production, and processing technology between China and ASEAN nations and advance research in vocational education in the field of tea industry between China and ASEAN.
Guangxi Vocational and Technical College is one of the institutions participating in the "China Characteristic High-level Vocational School and Specialty Construction Plan." After four years of development, GVTC has significantly improved its comprehensive strength and educational level, setting a new benchmark for the construction of national vocational college tea specialty groups. As the initiator of the China-ASEAN Border Vocational Education Alliance, Guangxi Vocational and Technical College has leveraged this platform to establish a new brand for international exchanges in ASEAN vocational education，with the strategy of "one platform, two paths and three emphasis". It focuses on promoting "Chinese Language + Vocational Skills" training, launching the "Luban Workshop" operation and incubation project, conducting transnational technical services and training activities, training over 2,000 people for ASEAN countries, and providing technical support and training for more than 5,000 people for domestic high-quality production capacity and overseas projects. This initiative promotes resource sharing, complementary advantages, and mutual development among member institutions.
Guangxi Vocational and Technical College has received various honors, including being selected to participate in the "China-Thailand Inter-school Exchange Program", which is one of the second batch of China-ASEAN vocational colleges' characteristic cooperation program, China-ASEAN Vocational Education Excellence Cooperation Partners, and the incubation school for the China-ASEAN Education Open Cooperation Experimental Zone's study in Guangxi, Outstanding Unit of Guangxi Colleges and Universities for Studying in China among others.