On August 19, 2023, Giovanni Crisona, Chairman of Skillman, and Torsten Kietz, Senior Advisor of Skillman, together with Cloud Bayun, Chief Advisor of UK ENIC, and other members of an European delegation, met with Lou Xiaochun, Vice President of Hangzhou Vocational & Technical College, Fu Wenjun, Deputy Secretary of the General Party Branch, Gu Lingang, Deputy Secretary of the General Party branch, Liu Yanan, Vice President, Lu Ying, Vice Director of International Exchange and Cooperation Division, and Wang Yufan, Director of International Relations (International Exchange and Cooperation Division), to discuss potential collaboration focusing, in particular, the opportunities offered by Tracks4Crafts.eu initiative.
Hangzhou Vocational & Technical College is ranked among the top vocational colleges in China. It offers a wide range of programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels in the fields of engineering, technology, business, and the arts. The college has a strong commitment to internationalisation and has established partnerships with universities and colleges around the world.
Skillman and UK ENIC are interested in collaborating with Hangzhou Vocational & Technical College to promote the development of skills in the crafts sector in both Europe and China. The Tracks4Crafts.eu project could provide a valuable opportunity for this collaboration. The project aims to safeguard crafts by enhancing their economic and societal valuation, and by developing new tools and resources for the transmission of traditional crafts knowledge.
The meeting was a valuable opportunity for the two delegations to discuss their respective interests and goals, and to explore ways to collaborate on the Tracks4Crafts.eu initiative. The participants agreed that the collaboration would be mutually beneficial for both organisations.
The Skillman delegation was impressed with the facilities and programs offered by Hangzhou Vocational & Technical College. They were particularly interested in the college's focus on internationalisation and its commitment to developing skills in the crafts sector.
The Hangzhou Vocational & Technical College delegation was interested in learning more about the Tracks4Crafts.eu project and the ways in which Skillman and UK ENIC could collaborate. They were also interested in learning more about the European vocational education and training system.
The two delegations agreed to continue discussions and to finalise a collaboration agreement in the near future. They are confident that this collaboration would be a valuable contribution to the Tracks4Crafts.eu project and to the development of skills in the crafts sector in both Europe and China.
Additional topics presented:
 Transformative ideas of teaching reforms of the Hangzhou Vocational & Technical College
Proposals for a concept of school enterprise community and a diversified development model based on the school enterprise community