China Craftsman Valley: Showcasing Craftsmanship to the World | China Craftsman Valley Makes a Fruitful Appearance at the 27th China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education

On the morning of October 30, the Plenary Session of the 27th China Annual Conference & Expo for International Education (CACIE) convened in Beijing. Cai Dafeng, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress; H.E. Yodchanan Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation of Thailand; Mr. Chen Qun, Assistant Director-General for Education of UNESCO; and Mr. Ren Youqun, Vice Minister of Education of China, delivered remarks. Mr. Tian Xuejun, President of the China Education Association for International Exchange (CEAIE), presided over the opening ceremony.

As a Global Partner of CEAIE, China POCY Group, Beijing Caofeidian International Vocational Education Town, Global Skills Academy (Chengdu), Caofeidian College of Technology, and Tangshan Maritime Institute participated prominently in this grand event. Through a dual-track approach featuring a thematic launch event and the China International Education Exhibition, they comprehensively showcased the achievements of China's vocational education internationalization and garnered widespread attention and cooperative consensus.

Grand Launch: Global Skilled Talent Industry-Education Integration Community Project Platform Released
On the afternoon of October 30, the thematic launch event "China Craftsman Valley: Showcasing Craftsmanship to the World" was successfully held at the National Convention Center. Hosted by CEAIE, and organized by China POCY Group, Beijing Caofeidian International Vocational Education Town, Global Skills Academy (Chengdu), Caofeidian College of Technology, and Tangshan Maritime Institute, and co-organized by the UNESCO International Research and Training Centre for Rural Education (INRULED), the UNESCO International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (ICHEI), Pearson Group, iFLYTEK, the China-Europe Vocational Education Alliance, and the China Craftsman Valley International Industry-Education Alliance, the event attracted over a hundred guests from domestic and international education and industry sectors. Mr. Wu Haoyang, Deputy Director of the Office of International Cooperation at Tangshan Maritime Institute, moderated the overall event.

During the launch event, Ms. Sun Aiping, Executive Vice President of China POCY Group; Mr. Zhao Yuchi, Executive Director of INRULED; Ms. Zeng Fang, Secretary-General of the Sichuan Education Association for International Exchange; and Mr. Leigh Howard, Commissioner for Victoria to Greater China, Victorian Government Trade and Investment Office (Australia), delivered speeches successively. They shared insights on trends in international vocational education cooperation, practical pathways for industry-education integration, and collaborative space for cross-border skilled talent cultivation, further highlighting the event's original intention of linking multi-party resources and building an open dialogue platform. Mr. Zhang Ning, Vice President of Caofeidian College of Technology, moderated the opening remarks session.

Centering on the theme of "Building a Global Community for Cross-Border High-Skilled Applied Talent Cultivation," a roundtable discussion was held. Panelists included Mr. Cao Zi'an, Head of the IIOE Operations Center, UNESCO International Centre for Higher Education Innovation (ICHEI); Mr. Fu Yongtao, Deputy Director of the EU Project Innovation Centre (EUPIC); Ms. Cao Yin, Chief Executive Officer of Greater China, Pearson Education Group; Mr. Zhao Yanpeng, Deputy Dean of the Institute of Industry-Education Integration, iFLYTEK; Mr. Jean Pierre MUHOZA, Postdoctoral Researcher at the Research Center for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Mr. Md. Sadekul Islam, Associate Professor of English and Director of the International Programs Office, International University of Business Agriculture and Technology (IUBAT), Bangladesh; and Mr. Ji Kunzhi, Industrial Robotics Teacher at Caofeidian College of Technology. Experts, enterprise representatives, and frontline teachers from the domestic and international vocational education sectors discussed paths and collaborative directions for cultivating cross-border high-skilled applied talents from multiple dimensions, including international vocational education resource sharing, vocational skills standard alignment, talent cultivation upgrades amid industrial technological iteration, and the implementation of cross-border school-enterprise cooperation. Their discussions coalesced broad industry consensus and practical ideas for the official release of the cross-border high-skilled talent cultivation project. Mr. Zheng Xiaoyong, Senior Program Officer of the International Promotion Department at CEAIE, moderated the roundtable dialogue.

Notably, the launch ceremony for the "Global Skilled Talent Industry-Education Integration Community Project Platform" was held on-site. Ms. Ma Jia, General Manager of the Education Business Division of China POCY Group, systematically explained the project's overall architecture, implementation path, and global collaboration mechanism. According to the introduction, the project aims to build a cross-border talent cultivation service system covering the entire chain of enrollment, training, certification, and employment through multi-party collaboration and complementary advantages, creating an open platform for global skills co-cultivation, mutual recognition of standards, and resource sharing. Meanwhile, the project emphasizes starting with pragmatic "small yet beautiful" cooperation, focusing on key areas and critical links, and striving to provide a practical, replicable, and sustainable cooperation model as a feasible practice sample for global vocational education international cooperation.

Mr. Tan Zhenya, Chief Expert in Aviation Education of the Chinese Society of Aeronautics and Astronautics (CSAA) and Former Executive Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Beihang University; Mr. Zhao Yuchi, Executive Director of INRULED; Mr. Ding Guosheng, Vice President of China POCY Group; Ms. Zeng Fang, Secretary-General of the Sichuan Education Association for International Exchange; Mr. Cao Zi'an, Head of the IIOE Operations Center, UNESCO-ICHEI; Ms. Cao Yin, CEO of Greater China, Pearson Education Group; Mr. Fu Yongtao, Deputy Director of EUPIC; Ms. Jiang Hong, Vice President of Beijing College of Finance and Commerce; Ms. Li Qian, Education Services Director for Greater China, Victorian Government (Australia); Dr. Nuttapong Jotikasthira, Dean of the International College, Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin, Thailand; Mr. Sergey Sergeevich, Assistant to the President for International Affairs, Krasnodar State Institute of Culture, Russia; and Mr. Li Xiaoqiang, Senior Government Affairs Director of Lenovo Group, jointly took the stage to officially launch the "Global Skilled Talent Industry-Education Integration Community Project Platform."

At the end of the launch event, a special session brought the atmosphere to a climax—the WorldSkills Competition champion team from Beijing College of Finance and Commerce, along with the award-winning teams from the World Vocational College Skills Competition representing Caofeidian College of Technology and Tangshan Maritime Institute, took the stage successively to share their inspiring stories of achieving success through skills. As the champions' stories reached young hearts, the dream of serving the country through skills is taking root and sprouting in the new generation.

Ms. Jia Qinqin, Vice President of Beijing Industry and Trade Technician College, delivered remarks.

Mr. Yao Yichun, Chairman and President of China POCY Group, presented gifts to Beijing Industry and Trade Technician College

Mr. Tan Zhenya, Chief Expert in Aviation Education of the CSAA and Former Executive Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Beihang University, presented gifts to the award-winning teams from Caofeidian College of Technology and Tangshan Maritime Institute.

Long-Term Dedication: Honored with the Title of "Global Partner" for Six Consecutive Years
At the CACIE Night on the evening of October 30, China POCY Group was honored with the title of "2026 Global Partner" in recognition of its sustained dedication and model innovation in the vocational education sector—marking the sixth consecutive year it has received this honor.

Mr. Yao Yichun, Chairman and President of China POCY Group, delivered a speech on behalf of the CACIE Global Partners. He pointed out that a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation is accelerating, with new technologies such as artificial intelligence profoundly reshaping humanity's modes of production and lifestyle. Industrial iteration calls for talent iteration, and talent iteration calls for educational transformation. International educational exchange and cooperation are precisely the key pathways to breaking down geographical barriers, pooling global wisdom, and jointly addressing the challenges of our times. He stated that China POCY Group is willing to shoulder the responsibility of a Global Partner, joining hands with global government, industry, academic, and research sectors to continue deepening and steadily advancing in joint standard research, joint talent cultivation, and shared outcomes, and to jointly build an open, collaborative, and mutually beneficial global vocational education cooperation ecosystem.

In an industry observed in five-year cycles, the weight of "six consecutive years" is far greater than a single award. It signifies that the international education community's recognition is not passing attention but sustained endorsement; it also demonstrates that China Craftsman Valley's internationalization is not an occasional initiative but a systematic layout; and it further indicates that its internationalization path, centered on industry-education integration, has formed a practical, reusable, and long-term value in the field of global vocational education cooperation.

Looking back at its trajectory, this path is clearly visible: from the implementation of the "100 Global Skills Youth Scholarship Program" to the substantive operation of the "Chinese + Skills" training base; from the formation of the "China Craftsman Valley International Industry-Education Alliance" to the global premiere of the "Cross-Border High-Skilled Talent Cultivation Project"—China Craftsman Valley, relying on its Beijing Caofeidian International Vocational Education Town, has persisted in rooting downward to consolidate its foundation and growing upward to expand its horizons, step by step opening up the entire chain of Chinese vocational education resources going global, connecting internationally, and landing locally.

Exhibition Synergy: Immersive Display of the Vocational Education Town's Internationalization Achievements
Concurrently, the China Craftsman Valley exclusive delegation, led by the Beijing Caofeidian International Vocational Education Town, made a prominent appearance at the 2026 China International Education Exhibition Beijing. As a "World Vocational and Technical Education and Training Base" recognized by UNESCO, its affiliated Caofeidian College of Technology and Tangshan Maritime Institute focused on three core contents—innovative industry-education integration models, international skilled talent cultivation systems, and Sino-foreign vocational education cooperation achievements—creating an immersive window for displaying results and attracting numerous global guests to stop by, visit, and exchange.

A dedicated check-in and exchange area for the Beijing Caofeidian International Vocational Education Town was specially set up on-site. Through various forms such as physical exhibitions and interactive experiences, it vividly presented the Town's fruitful achievements in internationalized school operation, skilled talent cultivation, and Sino-foreign cooperative education, allowing domestic and international guests to experience up close the innovation and vitality of China's vocational education.

At this year's annual conference, China Craftsman Valley participated deeply under the theme "Showcasing Craftsmanship to the World." This is not merely a slogan for the event but reflects the profound meaning of our times—when skills become a strategic pillar of national competitiveness, and vocational education becomes the common language of global development, whether Chinese solutions and Chinese wisdom can be used by the world is precisely the essential question this era poses to Chinese vocational educators. And in Beijing in October 2026, China Craftsman Valley has submitted its answer—linking global industry-education resources with a more open attitude, deepening international industry-education integration with more pragmatic measures, and cultivating future-oriented high-skilled talent with more systematic solutions.

Everything for the sake of skilled youth, achieving all possibilities for skilled youth. China Craftsman Valley is dedicated to building a "World Skills Learning Destination." On this path, we walk with determination.