Pakistan-China joint Academia-industry to be established after the recent development have showed increased interest of stakeholders.

The China-Pakistan Industry-Education Dialogue was held both offline and online for the first time, marking a historic milestone in fostering collaboration between educational institutions and industries in both countries.

According to a press release issued on Friday, notable attendees included Pasand Khan Buledi, Chairman of the Gwadar Port Authority; Yu Bo, Chairman of China Overseas Ports Holding (Pakistan) Co., Ltd.; Ahmed Manzoor, Principal of the Pakistan-China Vocational and Technical College; Zhong Jingzhi, Deputy Director of the Vocational Education Office of Shandong Provincial Department of Education; Zhang Baozhong, Director of the China Peace Development Foundation; and Zhang Zhidong, Secretary of the Party Committee of Shandong Business Vocational College. These leaders delivered speeches during the event.

Simultaneously, the inauguration ceremony of the Pakistan-Ban Mo Academy was held on November 19 at both Gwadar Port in Pakistan and Jinan, Shandong. A memorandum of cooperation was signed between the Pakistan-China Vocational and Technical College, the Gwadar Port Authority, and China Overseas Ports Holding (Pakistan) Co., Ltd. to jointly establish the academy in both countries.

Ahmed Manzoor, Principal of the Pakistan-China Vocational and Technical College in Gwadar, highlighted the achievements of the institute and acknowledged the contributions of Shandong Business Vocational College in areas such as professional development, teacher training, and online teaching. He noted that over 60 students graduated in August and secured placements in local enterprises and government institutions. The institute has now enrolled its second batch of students in programs like e-commerce, software technology, and port management. He expressed hopes to leverage the Ban Mo Academy to offer digital educational resources and technical training to the youth of Gwadar and Balochistan.

Manzoor also mentioned that once the teacher training program in Pakistan is complete, local educators will join the teaching team of the Pakistan-China Vocational Institute in the spring semester, enabling Chinese vocational education expertise to benefit more students in Pakistan. Yu Bo, Chairman of COPHC, emphasized the significant progress in the Gwadar region and reaffirmed COPHC’s commitment to supporting the Ban Mo Academy in collaboration with Shandong Business Vocational College.