Learning skills for a connected world

Challenges exist, however, in the ability of African institutions to strongly contribute to this alliance. Over the years, the vocational education sector has not only suffered public underfunding, which has had a negative impact on its research and innovation departments, but there is notably poor linkage between academia and the corporate sector.

This has resulted in sluggish growth of the manufacturing sector, raising an outcry from employers that graduates are unemployable due to poor practical skills. In addition, most of the students who benefit from scholarship programs abroad fail to secure jobs back home because they are considered overqualified.

While acknowledging these challenges, Zhang says Ningbo Polytechnic and other technical institutions in the country are prepared.

"In essence, Ningbo Polytechnic will provide technical skills to African institutions to assist in mapping out policies and practices and develop benchmarking systems that will enable these institutions to compare themselves with their regional and global peers. It will help them raise the bar in their standards of training and learning."

He says training and job-market mismatches will be eliminated by first analyzing the country’s needs and modifying a curriculum, making it simple and functional.