On December 2, the 2025 Jiangsu-South Africa Vocational Education Cooperation Dialogue and the annual meeting of the Jiangsu-South Africa Vocational College Principals Alliance were successfully held at NJUIT. The event brought together Shi Yunyu, Director of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange, Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education; Mookapele Mpho Gift, Director General of the Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority (LGSETA) under the Department of Higher Education and Training, South Africa (DHET); Annemarie Prince, Project Manager at LGSETA; Tlotlego RearabilWe Moatshe, Chief Financial Officer at LGSETA; and Lu Zhilei, Director of the Chinese Culture and International Education Exchange Center, South Africa. From NJUIT, Xie Yonghua, Secretary of the Party Committee, and He Xuejun, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and President, attended, along with nearly one hundred leaders from Chinese and South African vocational colleges in the Alliance. The meeting was chaired by Wei Ping, Member of the Standing Committee of the NJUIT Party Committee and Vice President.
In her address, Shi Yunyu congratulated the organizers on the successful convening of the dialogue and annual meeting. She noted that since the Alliance's establishment, vocational education exchanges and cooperation between Jiangsu and South Africa have steadily deepened, yielding tangible results, including the founding of NJUIT's South Africa branch campus, the expansion of faculty and student exchange programs, and the growing number of South African students in the Study in Jiangsu initiative. Looking ahead, she outlined three priorities for cooperation: first, focusing on skills development to enhance practical cooperation in key areas such as new energy vehicles and intelligent manufacturing in line with industrial needs; second, strengthening platform-building through innovative mechanisms and expanded joint research and technology sharing; and third, establishing the Alliance as a model project with broad influence and strong impact in China-Africa vocational education cooperation. She affirmed that the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education will continue to support the Alliance's development, enabling more outstanding South African youth to pursue advanced studies in Jiangsu and contributing to the building of a high-level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.
Xie Yonghua extended a warm welcome to all guests. He stated that as the chair institution of the Jiangsu-South Africa Vocational College Principals Alliance, NJUIT has long been committed to implementing President Xi Jinping's important initiatives on China-Africa education cooperation. Over the past year, bilateral cooperation has achieved substantial progress in three areas. First, the Alliance's platform has continued to expand its reach. Second, the scope of cooperation has broadened from faculty and student exchanges to joint curriculum development and shared standards, laying a stronger foundation. Third, people-to-people exchanges have flourished through diverse activities such as the Future Africa youth camp and vocational skills competitions, increasing interaction between Chinese and South African youth. He highlighted several milestone achievements by NJUIT in tandem with the Alliance: the launch of the South Africa-specific Jiangsu Government Scholarship, and the arrival of the first cohort of over one hundred students under the China-South Africa International Scholarship Program. He noted that this year marks the beginning of the China-South Africa relationship as a "comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the new era," and that vocational education cooperation between Jiangsu and South Africa will seize this opportunity to write a new chapter for the China-South Africa Community with a Shared Future.
Mookapele Mpho Gift, a founding member of the Jiangsu-South Africa Vocational College Principals Alliance, delivered a video address. She pointed out that the Alliance was created to address shared challenges including energy security, high unemployment, and structural skills shortages, with its core mission being to advance skills development and industrialization for mutual benefit. She emphasized that the Alliance has consistently prioritized action, embedding skills training within real industrial ecosystems and focusing on local capacity-building in renewable energy and manufacturing to align education with industry and skills with opportunity. She expressed confidence that through sustained efforts, the Alliance will effectively drive a competent and equitable energy transition that delivers tangible benefits to both peoples.
Annemarie Prince focused her remarks on the South Africa-specific Jiangsu Government Scholarship. She reported that the program has successfully funded 500 South African youth to pursue diploma or bachelor's degree studies in China in fields such as engineering, technology, and E-commerce. She noted that through tripartite collaboration among government, industry training bodies, and educational institutions, the program has effectively enhanced students' technical expertise and global outlook, injecting new vitality into South Africa's domestic development. She expressed gratitude to educators and Chinese partner institutions for their contributions, and stressed that investment in skills development is key to achieving shared prosperity, promoting cultural mutual learning, and building human capital. She looked forward to further deepening bilateral cooperation through this platform to benefit more South African youth.
He Xuejun delivered a keynote report titled "Promoting Belt and Road Initiative Cooperation: Reflections on Win-Win Collaboration and Innovation in China-(South) Africa Vocational Education." He stated that the university has consistently prioritized international engagement and has taken the lead in establishing multiple national-level international cooperation platforms. He highlighted the university's active response to the national "bring in" and "go global" strategies: NJUIT has developed the Study in NJUIT brand through multiple measures to ensure the quality of international student education, with over 1,200 international students from 53 countries currently enrolled. The university has also established various educational entities, promotion bases, and innovation centers in Cambodia, South Africa, Malaysia, Zambia, and other countries. He emphasized the university's sustained commitment to Africa cooperation, including founding the Jiangsu-South Africa Vocational College Principals Alliance as a dialogue platform, implementing the China-South Africa International Scholarship, participating in the Ministry of Education's Future Africa — China-Africa Vocational Education Cooperation Initiative, and being selected for a featured project under the Future Africa Initiative. Going forward, the university will cultivate more internationally competent professionals proficient in Chinese and skilled in their fields, embodying the Chinese vocational education wisdom of "teaching people to fish."
In her role as moderator, Wei Ping thanked all representatives for their active participation and contributions, and affirmed the substantive achievements made by the Alliance. She noted that through in-depth dialogue and exchange, this annual meeting further consolidated consensus on cooperation and clarified future directions for deepening industry-education integration and building a vocational education community. She emphasized that the Alliance will continue to leverage its platform role to promote more practical outcomes in talent development, skills enhancement, and people-to-people exchanges.
During the Jiangsu-South Africa Vocational Education Cooperation Dialogue, both sides engaged in in-depth exchanges on the theme of "Deepening Industry-Education Integration, Building a Jiangsu-South Africa Vocational Education Community." Seven Chinese and international leaders and experts shared their institutions' specific practical experiences.
Following the dialogue, leaders from both sides presented awards to recipients of the South Africa-specific Jiangsu Government Scholarship. Outstanding student representatives Asanda Smangaliso from Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology and Zungu Minenhle Siyamthanda from Nanjing University of Industry Technology expressed their commitment to meeting expectations, cherishing the opportunity to study in China, and becoming ambassadors of friendship between the two nations upon their return.
During the ceremony, international students from South Africa performed an African dance titled "A New Journey." With passionate, authentic movements and lively rhythms, the performance showcased the distinctive character of African culture and the vibrant energy of university students, fully demonstrating the appeal of cross-cultural exchange. Through graceful choreography, the students conveyed sincere emotion, composing a youthful anthem of transcending mountains and seas with shared purpose, adding a vivid highlight to China-South Africa vocational education exchange and cooperation.
The successful convening of this annual meeting served not only as a comprehensive showcase of achievements in Jiangsu-South Africa vocational education cooperation, but also as a new starting point for deepening exchanges and pursuing shared development. Going forward, the Jiangsu-South Africa Vocational College Principals Alliance will continue to uphold the principle of win-win cooperation, actively serve the Belt and Road Initiative, and steadily deepen industry-education integration, science-education convergence, and people-to-people exchanges. It will strive to become a benchmark model for China-Africa vocational education cooperation, contributing greater vocational education strength to the deepening of China-South Africa comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership and the building of a high-level China-Africa Community with a Shared Future.
中文原标题：技能赋能 融通共生 共绘高质量合作新蓝图 ——2025年江苏南非职业教育合作对话暨江苏-南非职业院校校长联盟年会在我校举办
12月2日，2025年江苏南非职业教育合作对话暨江苏—南非职业院校校长联盟年会在我校圆满举行。江苏省教育厅对外合作与交流处处长施蕴玉，南非高教部培训署署长穆卡佩勒·莫胡·基夫特（Mookapele Mpho Gift），南非高教部地方政府培训署项目经理安玛丽·普林斯（Annemarie Prince）、财务总监托莱戈·雷拉比尔韦·莫阿切（Tlotlego RearabilWe Moatshe），南非中国文化和国际教育交流中心主任陆志雷应邀出席会议，我校党委书记谢永华，党委副书记、校长何学军，以及联盟中外双方职业院校领导近一百人参会。会议由我校党委常委、副校长魏萍主持。
施蕴玉在致辞中，首先祝贺了本次江苏—南非职业教育合作对话会暨江苏-南非职业院校校长联盟年会成功举办。她表示，联盟成立以来，江苏与南非的职业教育交流合作不断走深走实，结出了一批实打实的成果，包括南工南非分校的成立、师生交流项目的深化及“留学江苏”项目南非学生规模的持续扩大。针对未来一段时期的工作，她提出了三点合作方向：一是聚焦技能培养，围绕产业发展需求，在新能源汽车、智能制造等重点领域提升合作实效；二是强化平台构建，创新合作机制，拓展联合科研与技术共享；三是树立典范标杆，将联盟打造为中非职教合作中“影响力大、获得感强”的示范项目，江苏省教育厅将一如既往支持联盟发展，让更多南非优秀青年有机会来苏深造，为构建高水平中非命运共同体贡献力量。
谢永华在致辞中对来宾表示热烈欢迎。他表示，我校作为江苏—南非职业院校校长联盟理事长单位，多年来始终致力于落实习近平主席关于中非教育合作的重要倡议。过去一年双方合作取得了实质性进展：一是平台能级持续跃升，联盟的“朋友圈”持续扩大；二是合作内涵深度拓展，合作从师生交流扩展至课程共建、标准共研，根基愈加深厚；三是人文交流焕新出彩，通过“未来非洲”青年营、职业技能竞赛等多元化活动，中南青年互动频次持续提高。他指出，我校与联盟同频共振，取得多项里程碑成果：“留学江苏政府奖学金”南非专项奖启动，“中国—南非国际奖学金项目”首批百余名学生来苏。他表示，今年是中南关系提升为“新时代全方位战略合作伙伴关系”的开局之年，江苏与南非的职业教育合作必将以此为契机谱写新时代中南命运共同体的新篇章。
穆卡佩勒·莫胡·基夫特作为江苏-南非职业院校校长联盟的创始成员发表视频致辞。她指出，联盟的创立是为了应对能源安全、高失业率及结构性技能短缺等共同挑战，其核心目标是推动技能培养与工业化发展，实现互利共赢。她强调，联盟始终坚持“行动为先”，致力于将技能培养植根于真实的产业生态，聚焦可再生能源与制造业能力的本土化建设，让教育对接产业、技能匹配机遇。她坚信通过各方的持续努力，联盟将有效推动一场能力过硬、公平公正的能源转型，切实造福两国人民。
安玛丽·普林斯在致辞中重点介绍了“留学江苏政府奖学金”南非专项奖项目。她表示，该项目已成功资助500名南非青年赴华深造，攻读工程、技术及电子商务等领域的专科或本科文凭。她指出，该项目通过政府、行业培训机构与院校的三方协作，有效提升了学生的专业技术能力与全球视野，为南非本土发展注入了新的活力。她向为此付出努力的教育工作者与中国合作院校表示感谢，并强调对技能培养的投入是实现共同繁荣、促进文化互鉴与人力资本建设的关键，期待双方合作能借此平台进一步深化，让更多南非青年受益。
何学军在会上作题为《助力共建 “一带一路”推进中（南）非职教合作共赢与创新思考》的主旨报告。他表示，学校一贯重视国际化工作，牵头成立多个国家级国际合作平台。他指出，学校积极响应国家“引进来”与“走出去”战略: 学校积极打造 “留学南工” 品牌，多措并举保障来华留学生培养质量，有来自53个国家的1200余名外国留学生来校学习；在柬埔寨、南非、马来西亚、赞比亚等国建立各类教育实体、推广基地和创新中心。他强调，学校持续深化对非合作，牵头成立“江苏—南非职业院校校长联盟”搭建对话平台，积极落实“中国—南非国际奖学金”项目，参与教育部“未来非洲—中非职业教育合作计划”，入选“未来非洲计划”特色项目。未来学校将培养更多懂中文、精技能的国际化人才，生动诠释“授人以渔”的中国职教智慧。
魏萍在主持中，对各方代表的积极参与和贡献表示感谢，并对联盟取得的实质性成果表示肯定。她指出，本次年会通过深入的对话交流，进一步凝聚了合作共识，明确了未来深化产教融合、共建职教共同体的发展方向。她强调，联盟将继续发挥平台作用，推动双方在人才培养、技能提升和人文交流上取得更多务实成果。
在江苏南非职业教育合作对话环节，双方围绕“深化产教融合 建设江苏南非职教共同体”主题展开深入交流，7位中外方领导和专家分别介绍了各校的具体实践经验。
随后，双方领导为“留学江苏政府奖学金” 南非专项奖获奖学生颁奖。优秀学生代表南京信息职业技术学院Asanda Smangaliso、南京工业职业技术大学Zungu Minenhle Siyamthanda在发言中表示，将不负期望，珍惜来华学习机会，学成归国后成为两国友谊的使者。
仪式上，来自南非的留学生表演了非洲舞《开启新旅程》。舞姿热情质朴、节奏明快，展现了非洲文化的独特风貌与大学生的青春活力，充分彰显了跨文化交流的魅力。同学们以灵动舞姿传递真挚情感，奏响了跨越山海、同心携手的青春乐章，为中南职业教育交流合作增添了一抹亮色。
本次年会的成功举办，不仅是对江苏与南非职教合作成果的集中展示，更是双方深化交流、共谋发展的新起点。未来，江苏—南非职业院校校长联盟将继续秉持合作共赢的理念，主动服务共建“一带一路”倡议，持续深化产教融合、科教融汇与人文交流，努力打造中非职教合作的标杆典范，为推动中南全面战略合作伙伴关系深入发展、构建高水平中非命运共同体贡献更多职教力量。
