On the 26th of October, Caxton House—China Research and Engagement (CHCRE) and the Confucius Institute for Traditional Chinese Medicine (CITCM) at London South Bank University (LSBU) co-organised and hosted an event exploring “A Fresh Approach to Vocational Education in China” at its Southwark campus.
LSBU’s Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive Professor David Phoenix unveiled the evening with warm welcome to all attendees. Technical and vocation education has always been a dedicated focus of LSBU. Over the next 3 years, as a leading HE provider of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), it will support over 1500 SMEs covering a range of sectors from health tech to food tech. LSBU was named University of the Year for Graduate Employment in the Times and the Sunday Times Good University Guide 2019, for an unprecedented second year running.
LSBU’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor & Chief Business Officer Prof Paul Ivey later introduced LSBU global as the vehicle for transnational education (TNE) within the LSBU group. He has expressed the intention to work with more partner institutions in China in the development of vocational and technical education.
Professor Yinong Xu, the Executive Director of Caxton House & CITCM, explained the institutional principles and philosophical positions of Caxton House, and emphasized that the key to transnational collaboration and engagement is to promote better and meaningful cross-cultural understandings and to respect and celebrate diversities within one culture. Caxton House & CITCM has been proactively functioning as a solid platform for bilateral communication between China and the UK.
After these presentations, questions about cross-cultural collaborations, and about opportunities and challenges in vocational education in the post-pandemic era were raised during the Q&A session. Professor Paul Ivey and Professor Yinong Xu both hold positive attitudes towards Sino-British vocational education collaborations in the future.
This successful event afforded all participants an invaluable opportunity to consider the significance of vocational education, to discuss its practicality and possible impact, and to explore its applicability in China regarding Sino-British educational collaborations.