Welcome to the World Skills Development Alliance. I am delighted to welcome you to our global community. Our mission is to support skill development, provide a platform in vocational education, and a bridge of communication especially between Europe and China so that schools and other stakeholders can support each other, sharing information and realising projects.

The alliance fosters cooperation across different regions of the world, to increase the capacity of Vocational Education and Training providers so that they are better equipped to engage internationally. We aim to support employment opportunities for ultimate beneficiaries and develop responsive VET interventions.

In its first year of activity the WSDA aims to prioritise cooperation between schools and universities of Europe and China in order to further enhance ties, with flow of projects and expertise going both ways. We will improve schools offer to students, support implementation local government directives while integrating the private sector and facilitating in person exchange between headmasters.

At present, China holds the largest vocational education system in the world, with more than 11,300 vocational educational institutions, and more than 29.15 million students in school. The professional system, from certificate to diploma to bachelor' s degree levels, consists of 1,349 majors and 120,000 programs, basically covering each and every field of its economy.

Out of a total of 197 existing high level colleges in China, WSDA members, have signed partnerships with over 150 of them and have active collaboration with over 60.

Therefore we are looking forward to sharing these resources between members and thus achieving further excellence in the world of skills and vocational education.

Thank you!
Oscar Prat van Thiel