Australia International Chamber of Commerce and Waitomo District Mayor Visit University

Summary

On 14 November, a delegation led by Mike Guo, CEO of the Australia International Chamber of Commerce and Executive President of the New Zealand International Exchange Centre, and John Robertson, Mayor of Waitomo District, New Zealand, visited the university for discussions. Li Xuemei, Party Committee member and Vice President, attended. Li outlined the university's operations and international cooperation achievements, noting that the Australia International Chamber of Commerce has long promoted exchanges and cooperation among China, Australia and New Zealand across multiple sectors, with notable results in education, serving as an important bridge between the education and industry sectors of the three countries.

She expressed hope that the visit would strengthen cooperation in joint programme development, research collaboration and faculty-student exchanges, and that both sides would actively explore a 'university + chamber + enterprise' collaborative talent cultivation model to promote mutual understanding among young people and cultural connectivity, contributing to deeper China-Australia and China-New Zealand education cooperation and people-to-people exchanges. Mike Guo shared his experience and reflections on current international education cooperation, talent exchange and internships, drawing on the chamber's work and international education exchanges. He said the chamber has always been a bridge for China-Australia education exchanges and hoped the visit would enhance mutual understanding and explore more cooperation possibilities in talent cultivation, faculty-student exchanges, international education programmes and university-enterprise cooperation, expanding diverse development opportunities for young students.

John Robertson expressed hope that the exchange would further strengthen cooperation between Waitomo District and Chinese universities in talent cultivation and university-enterprise cooperation, giving young students a more internationally competitive platform for growth and development. Heads of the university's Office of International Exchange and Cooperation, Business School, School of Logistics, School of Foreign Languages, School of History and Culture, and School of Life Sciences attended the event.

Commentary

The visit by the Australia International Chamber of Commerce and Waitomo District officials, focused on a 'university + chamber + enterprise' collaborative talent cultivation model, signals that China-Australia-New Zealand education cooperation is deepening from traditional faculty-student exchanges towards industry-education integration. For NZ SMEs, such cooperation could have a dual impact: on one hand, local education institutions linking with chambers can help cultivate composite talent familiar with both Chinese and New Zealand markets, easing skills shortages; on the other hand, if Chinese universities connect directly with NZ firms for internships and practical training, it could give NZ small and medium enterprises a low-cost channel to access young Chinese talent and markets. New Zealand's vocational education reforms currently emphasise industry participation.

Although Waitomo is known for tourism, this visit involves logistics, business and other disciplines, potentially creating an entry point for regional SMEs to participate in the international education supply chain. NZ firms could watch for follow-up university-enterprise cooperation projects, proactively offering internship positions or joint research, and turning education cooperation into tangible business resources.

Keywords: Australia International Chamber of Commerce, Waitomo District, New Zealand, Mike Guo, John Robertson, Li Xuemei, education cooperation, university-enterprise cooperation, faculty-student exchanges, university + chamber + enterprise, talent cultivation

Summary in Chinese | 摘要

11月14日，澳大利亚国际商会首席执行官、新西兰国际交流中心执行总裁麦克·果与新西兰怀托摩市市长约翰·罗伯逊一行来访交流座谈，学校党委委员、副校长李雪梅出席。李雪梅介绍了学校办学情况及国际合作交流取得的成绩，指出澳大利亚国际商会长期致力于促进中澳新三国在多领域的交流与合作，特别是在教育领域成果显著，是连接中澳新教育界与产业界的重要桥梁；希望双方以此访问为契机，在专业共建、科研协作、师生交流等方面加强合作，积极探索“高校+商会+企业”协同育人模式，推动中澳新三国青年相知相亲、文化相融相通，为深化中澳、中新教育合作与人文交流作出积极贡献。麦克·果结合澳大利亚国际商会相关工作及国际教育交流情况，就当前国际教育合作、人才交流、实习实训等方面分享了相关经验和思考，表示澳商会一直是中澳教育交流的桥梁，希望以此次交流为契机，进一步增进双方了解，在人才培养、师生交流、国际教育项目以及校企合作等方面探索更多合作可能，为青年学生拓展更加多元的发展空间。

约翰·罗伯逊希望通过此次交流进一步增强新西兰怀托摩市与中国高校在人才培养、校企合作等方面的交流与合作，为青年学生拓展更具国际竞争力的成长发展空间。学校国际交流与合作处、商学院、物流学院、外国语学院、历史文化学院、生命科学学院相关负责人参加活动。

Commentary in Chinese | 评论

澳大利亚国际商会与新西兰怀托摩市此次来访，聚焦“高校+商会+企业”协同育人模式，反映出中新澳教育合作正从传统师生交流向产教融合深化。对NZ SME而言，这类合作可能带来双重影响：一方面，本地教育机构与商会联动，有助于培养熟悉中新市场的复合型人才，缓解技能短缺；另一方面，若中国高校与NZ企业直接对接实习实训，可能为NZ中小企业提供低成本接触中国年轻人才和市场的渠道。当前新西兰职业教育改革强调行业参与，怀托摩市虽以旅游闻名，但此次涉及物流、商科等专业，或为区域中小企业参与国际教育供应链创造切入点。

NZ企业可关注后续校企合作项目，主动对接实习岗位或联合研发，将教育合作转化为实际商业资源。

关键词: 澳大利亚国际商会, 新西兰怀托摩市, 麦克·果, 约翰·罗伯逊, 李雪梅, 教育合作, 校企合作, 师生交流, 高校+商会+企业, 人才培养

Source: Linyi University