Daily Times

The China-Pakistan TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) – Industrial Center of Excellence was unveiled here at the Belt and Road Digital Education Development Forum.

In a bid to train more Pakistani youth in Chinese language and vocational skills, 15 key disciplines including IoT, automation, textile, big data, engineering, etc. would be prioritised in the following year.

According to China Economic Net (CEN) it will be carried with digital curriculum to be developed under a mutually-formulated set of standards, and teachers will be trained to upgrade their vocational knowledge.

Industry-specific committees in textile, resource and environment, and food were set up in tandem, which are expected to equip students with exceptional internship and employment opportunities in these sectors, contributing to economic cooperation and development of Pakistan.

“This move comes in line with the desire for talent by Chinese companies investing in Pakistan and by local companies as well which are catching up with the tide of industrial upgrade”, said Mr. Ammar Muhammad, Secretary General of China Pakistan International Industrial Academic Integration Alliance.

So far, the alliance has attracted the participation of over 300 universities and colleges, and more than 80 enterprises in China and Pakistan, providing vocational training in a variety of key sectors such as agriculture, information, health, energy, etc.

Apart from skill development, the establishment of eight smart Chinese language centers is listed in the first-year plan of the TVET – Industrial Center, with the first one unveiled at the conference, which would be supported by Liaoning Petrochemical College.

China-Pakistan cooperation on vocational education has been on the fast track since 2021.

Earlier this year, the first IT City of Pakistan was inaugurated in Lahore under bilateral cooperation, providing local young people with training on artificial intelligence, cloud computing, graphic design, cybersecurity, data analytics, machine learning, and game development.