Achieving results through a partnership with common goals

From 29 April – 1 May, representatives from WorldSkills will be attending Going Global, an annual conference hosted by the British Council that will offer an open forum for global leaders of international education to discuss current issues. Going Global 2014 brings together more than 1,000 delegates, 250 speakers and 50 exhibitors from higher and further education sectors to discuss the future of global higher education. Three days of sessions explore this year's themes of inclusion, innovation and impact, through panel discussions, keynote plenaries, debates, town hall sessions and poster presentations.

The British Council collaborates with WorldSkills to transform public perceptions of vocational education and to improve skill levels in the industrial, technology and service sectors.

Since 2011, the partnership has brought ten WorldSkills Roadshows to major cities across the length and breadth of China. The Roadshows bring British WorldSkills Champions to engage with Chinese students, giving them skills demonstrations, running ‘Have-a-go’ sessions, and taking part in mini-competitions.

The goal is to inform as many young people as possible (we’ve reached 70,000 so far) that a sure-fire way to guarantee a stable and rewarding career is to get trained in a highly sought-after skill.

The most recent Roadshow took place in November 2013 and travelled to Beijing, Hangzhou and Chengdu. In between learning how to mend cars and design websites, the young Chinese students were wowed by the Gold medal brick layer putting up a three foot wall in a matter of minutes. Meanwhile, former Cooking Competitor and current chef at Eton taught them how to make English scones. In these and many other events, the Chinese students saw a glimpse of the heights that can be reached through a commitment to vocational training and skills excellence.

Beyond the Roadshows, the British Council is working with Chinese colleges, WorldSkills, and Experts from the UK on a project to help bring Chinese standards more in line with international best practice.

The idea is that by basing the standards used in Chinese colleges on those standards developed for the WorldSkills competition, we can ensure that these standards are both up-to-date, relevant to the workplace and, importantly, benchmarked against international standards. This will not only raise standards in Chinese colleges, but will facilitate international mobility for Chinese students and workers.

Occupational standards are a central feature of vocational education: they are the foundation on which curriculum, assessment and qualifications are based.

For more information on the Going Global 2014 conference please visit: www.britishcouncil.org/going-global

For more information on the British Council WorldSkills roadshow please visit: www.britishcouncil.org/uk_skills__olympians__travel_china.pdf