10/06/2011

Wales’ Colleges Launch China Consortium

The Wales’ Colleges Consortium for Chongqing, China is launched today. It marks the beginning of a strategic international direction for Wales’ colleges, working collaboratively with a range of partners to bring international opportunities and a broadening of horizons to college learners and staff in Wales.

Twelve Further Education Institutions in Wales are joining forces, with support from ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, the British Council and the Welsh Government, to build relationships with partners in Chongqing, China to benefit both Wales and China.

China is now the second largest economy in the world. It is abuzz with entrepreneurship and packed with cutting-edge industries. Chongqing – the fastest growing city in the world - has a population of 7 million in a municipality of 31 million. It has huge ambitions. It already produces one-third of all laptops in the world and one-third of all motorcycles in China. It is in addition aiming to be the world’s IT centre.

Chongqing’s ambitions bring particular challenges. It is expanding on a scale unimaginable in Wales. It needs to integrate and train around 8 million migrant workers moving from the country to newly created jobs.

Hence it is keen to develop partnerships with Wales’ further education colleges to benefit from their solid track record in developing relevant vocational skills and their expertise in working with industry.

This development provides a tremendous opportunity for Wales, its colleges and its learners, to learn from Chongqing and to expand Welsh students’ views of their place in the world economy.

Thanks to a China-Wales skills exchange in Chongqinq in March 2011, ten Welsh students from six colleges across Wales have already had an opportunity to make an impression on their Chinese hosts as well as to experience the skills that are valued in China and find out about booming Chinese industries first hand. Working alongside 40 of their Chinese peers from 12 of Chongqing’s colleges, the students learned specific work-related skills from each other and showcased their talents in engineering, construction, catering, digital media, hairdressing and beauty therapy.

That visit coincided with strategic meetings between a delegation of college principals from Wales and Chongqinq together with senior representatives from both the Wales and Chongqing Governments and partners including the British Council and ColegauCymru. Arising from these discussions, the seeds of a Wales’ Colleges Consortium were sown.

The Consortium Chair is Bryn Davies, principal of Ystrad Mynach College, who takes on the chairmanship of the consortium just two weeks after stepping down as Chair of the ColegauCymru Board.

Bryn Davies said: “The skills exchange earlier this year between Wales and China was just the beginning. We need to ensure that we can make the most of the exciting opportunities that this link between the colleges of Wales and Chongqing offers. Both countries have much to learn from one another.

“I am looking forward to working with colleges across Wales over the coming months to develop firm, productive and sustainable partnerships with our college peers in Chongqing. Through the Consortium we will harness the expertise of colleges in Wales to assist in the ambitious economic and social expansion of Chongqing by providing relevant training, tailored courses, consultancy and other support.

“The key focus for Chongqing is to raise the skills levels of the workforce including its burgeoning migrant population. The key focus for Wales is to establish an international mindset among our learners, broadening their horizons and improving their employment opportunities both in Wales and in the global marketplace.

“This really is a key moment for skills’ education in Wales.”
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Contact: Sylvia Davies on 029 2052 8384 or 07968 771913.
Notes to editors:

1. ColegauCymru / CollegesWales is the national educational charity that represents all 21 further education (FE) colleges and institutions in Wales. Its mission is to raise the profile of further education with key decision-makers to improve opportunities for learners in Wales. For further information about ColegauCymru / CollegesWales, and the colleges it represents, visit www.colegaucymru.ac.uk or www.collegeswales.ac.uk
2. The further education institutions involved in the consortium are:

• Ystrad Mynach College 
• Coleg Morgannwg
• Gower College Swansea
• Coleg Glan Hafren (soon to merge with Barry College)
• Coleg Gwent
• Coleg Powys
• Coleg Llandrillo Cymru
• Deeside College
• Yale College Wrexham
• Coleg Harlech/WEA North Wales
• Barry College (soon to merge with Coleg Glan Hafren)
• WEA South Wales

3. The consortium is investing in a Mandarin-speaking FE representative in Chongqing, China who will be based in the Welsh Government office in Chongqing.  The FE representative in Chongqing will be supported by an advisory group comprising local colleges, local business, the British Council and the Welsh Government.
4. Photographs available: 

• Meeting between Wales’ college principals, Director of Education Commission, Chongqing and Chinese college principals on 2 March 2011 – It was these discussions that inspired Wales’ college to develop a Wales Consortium
• On behalf of the Wales delegation in China, Nick Bennett (ColegauCymru Vice Chair and Principal of Gower College Swansea) signs a Memorandum of Understanding with Chongqing Vocational Institute of Engineering (VIE) in the opening ceremony of the skills exchange on 3 March 2011.

The Chongqing/Wales link: 

5. The Chongqing/Wales link was established in 2000 through the personal recommendation of Premier Wen Jiabao during his visit to Wales.
6. The first Memorandum of Understanding between Chongqing and Wales was signed in 2006.
7. A number of areas for potential collaboration were identified and there was a signing of a formal Cooperation Agreement in 2008.
8. The relationship has gone from strength to strength and now embraces collaboration in economic development, environment and climate change, science and technology, forestry and agriculture, education, health, art and culture.

Chongqing, China:

9. Chongqing is located in South West China and is the largest of 4 municipalities in China with over 31 million people (7 million reside in the city).
10. It is a modern city with more than 3,000 years of history and is called "Yu" for short; it is also known as Fog City and Mountain City. 
11. It is 5,309 miles (as the crow flies) from London Heathrow to Chongqing City.
12. It is currently undergoing a plan for urban and rural development up until 2020.