The EMVET (East Midlands Vocational Education and Training) Group, with EMFEC as the Co-ordinating Body, has been working on building links with the Chinese Vocational Education and Training sector since the beginning of 2005. Throughout, the Group has greatly benefited from the support of the East Midlands Development Agency, UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), the East Midlands China Business Bureau and the China Britain Business Council.
Membership of EMVET comprises nine colleges from the region which are Loughborough College, South Leicestershire College, Derby College, Lincoln College, Leicester College, New College Nottingham, West Nottinghamshire College, Castle College and New College Stamford. Whilst early missions concentrated on Shenyang and Qingdao, latterly the focus has shifted to the Sichuan Province in the light of the long-established partnership between the East Midlands and this region of China, founded by Leicestershire County Council some twenty years ago. In early April 2008, six EMVET colleges participated in a UKTI mission to Chengdu and Chongching, visiting Sichuan colleges to explore potential for a range of partnership projects. Subsequently, having secured financial support from the Prime Minister's Initiative 2 Fund, an invitation was extended to Chinese colleagues to visit the East Midlands in November 2008. The delegation followed an intensive five-day programme which featured a welcome reception, three full days of college visits and a final meeting which highlighted the progress on project developments during the week and Memoranda of Agreements were signed.
Just one example of the outcomes of the initiative has been the development of an International Film Exchange. This will be between two colleges in China, the Mahwa Film Studios in Mumbai in India, South Leicestershire College and other interested East Midlands colleges. The films will be streamed through and linked into ARY Digital (a Dubai based 23-station cable Asian TV company). There is also an opportunity to link the film festival into Chongqing TV, which would then profile the East Midlands colleges across Pakistan, India as well as South West China. Project developers have already had interest in the project from ICE Media Corporation, and ITV have expressed an interest in screening at least an extract of the film festival for East Midlands News.
The Group is now keen to follow up on these initiatives by once again visiting China. A mission organised by the East Midlands China Business Bureau in spring 2009 will feature a briefing at the UK Consulate in Chongqing, followed by a busy programme of individual college visits and business meetings.
To find out more about EMVET, contact either Geoff Scaplehorn (geoffs@emfec.co.uk) or Pauline Guild (paulineg@emfec.co.uk)
The Sichuan delegation visit the East Midlands
