Mr. YAO Yichun, Chairman of the Integration of Industry and Education Committee of World Federation of UNESCO Clubs, Centres and Associations and Chairman and President of China POCY Group; Mr. YANG Zhilin, Executive President; Ms. SUN Aiping, Executive Vice President; Ms. MA Jia, General Manager of the Education Business Department; Ms. LIU Caiqin, President of Caofeidian College of Technology; Mr. ZHANG Ning, Vice President; Mr. LI Jiasheng, President of Tangshan Maritime Institute;  Ms. BI Xiaohan, Deputy Director of UNESCO-ICHEI; Mr. CAO Zi'an, Chief of the IIOE Management Centre; Mr. TANG Xiangzheng, Senior Programme Officer of the IIOE Management Centre, and others attended the event.

This signing marks a key step forward in the UNESCO-ICHEI's cooperation with China's leading vocational education ecosystem.

Mr. YAO Yichun stated that the cooperation is a strategic choice by China POCY Group in response to evolving trends in global education. China POCY Group will work with UNESCO-ICHEI to jointly build an international industry-education integration base, pilot skills training centres at IIOE partner institutions, and focus on four key areas: developing international standards for vocational education, developing an "AI + Vocational Skills" curriculum system, strengthening the international competencies of teaching personnel, and facilitating industry-education integration project matchmaking, so as to advance the internationalization of vocational education and empower young people worldwide through skills development.

Ms. LIU Caiqin noted that the cooperation is highly aligned with Caofeidian College of Technology's three major goals: building high-level specialty clusters, applying for vocational undergraduate status, and developing an international brand. The college looks forward to relying on UNESCO-ICHEI and the IIOE partner network to share Caofeidian's practice model demonstrating authentic industry scenarios and well-established practical training system with the world. The model could highlight Chinese vocational education rooted in industry and serving local development. At the same time, it aims to introduce advanced international vocational education standards to improve teaching quality, fostering knowledge exchange and mutually beneficial cooperation.

Mr. LI Jiasheng noted that Tangshan Maritime Institute looks forward to leveraging its specialised strengths to work with UNESCO-ICHEI on jointly developing an internationally applicable "AI + vocational skills" micro-certificate curriculum system, and to exploring ways to share vocational education programme and curriculum standards with countries in the Global South. This will further help the institute become a benchmark institution for international exchange and cooperation.

UNESCO-ICHEI stated that this cooperation will fully leverage the IIOE global partner network and online resource advantages to introduce international experts and standards while sharing the industry-rooted educational experience of China POCY Group, Caofeidian College of Technology, and Tangshan Maritime Institute on the international stage. The cooperation will promote the precise matching and sharing global industry-education resources, providing a viable pathway for the digital transformation of vocational education in Global South countries.

China POCY Group is a diversified multinational conglomerate dedicated to the integrated development of education and industry. Its business spans multiple sectors, including education investment, smart technology, healthcare, culture, tourism, cold chain logistics, and property management. The Group is committed to building a sustainable "education + industry" integrated ecosystem, actively developing the "China Craftsman Valley" brand, and operating four flagship Vocational Education Town 4.0 projects. It has also introduced the world’s first IERC (Industry-Education Retirement Community) model that integrates education, services, and elderly care on a global scale. Headquartered in Beijing and Hong Kong, POCY has established major project presences in Guiyang, Chengdu, Tangshan, Jiujiang, Baoding, and Zhangjiakou, and operates international offices in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, and South Korea, steadily building a global operational network across Central Europe and Asia.

Caofeidian College of Technology is a full-time ordinary higher vocational college approved by the People's Government of Hebei Province and registered with the Ministry of Education of China. It is also a "World Technical and Vocational Education and Training Base" established by UNESCO. Located at the land-sea intersection hub of the Belt and Road Initiative and a strategic area for the coordinated development of the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the college adheres to the motto of "Dedication, Practice, Innovation, and Excellence," takes fostering virtue through education as its fundamental task, and is committed to cultivating high-quality interdisciplinary technical and skilled talents with a sense of social responsibility, humanistic values, refined skills, and craftsmanship spirit.

Tangshan Maritime Institute is a provincial full-time ordinary higher vocational college approved by the People's Government of Hebei Province and registered with the Ministry of Education of China. Located on the western-central coast of the Bohai Sea, within the Beijing Caofeidian International Vocational Education City, the institute covers an area of 1,010 mu(approximately 67.3 hectares) with a building area of 320,000 square meters. The newly built campus represents an investment of 2 billion yuan. It is an internationalized higher education institution designated by UNESCO as a "World Vocational Education and Training Base" and a "World Skills Learning Destination."