University leaders visit partner institutions in Australia and New Zealand

Summary

A delegation led by Gao Zhigang, deputy party secretary and vice-president of the university, visited institutions in Australia and New Zealand from 25 to 31 October, including the University of Sydney, the University of Technology Sydney, the Sydney office of Duan & Duan Law Firm, the University of Canterbury and New Zealand Skills and Education College. The visits focused on practical discussions covering foreign-related legal talent training, joint research and overseas practice programmes, with progress made in expanding partnerships, aligning talent training projects and implementing earlier memoranda of understanding. At the University of Canterbury, the delegation held talks with Paul Ballantine, dean of the business school, and Will Shannon, who leads international cooperation, reviewing progress since earlier reciprocal visits and the signing of the memorandum.

At New Zealand Skills and Education College, the delegation was received by curriculum director Mary Waugh and other officials. The two sides focused on implementing the outcomes of last year's visit and the memorandum, aligning a short-term study programme that combines language learning, specialist courses and company visits, and discussed timing, course matching and credit recognition in light of the university's practice semester. They also explored links between business intelligence and artificial intelligence application courses and programmes in economics, management and law, and ways to expand student internship channels through local industry and business resources, and agreed to exchange course materials and refine the programme plan.

The visit further expanded the university's cooperation network in Australia and New Zealand, advanced the building of cooperation platforms and the alignment of talent training projects, and laid a foundation for deepening university-to-university and university-to-institution collaboration in education and for advancing internationalisation.

Commentary

A Chinese university delegation's visit to the University of Canterbury and New Zealand Skills and Education College focused on aligning courses in foreign-related law, business intelligence and artificial intelligence, and on exploring student internship channels. New Zealand's education export industry is worth about NZ$5 billion a year, and China is one of the largest sources of international students. For local small and medium-sized enterprises, short-term study programmes bring direct spending on accommodation, transport and hospitality, while longer-term cooperation could create opportunities to commercialise joint research.

The University of Canterbury's business school has close ties with local firms, and Chinese students taking up internships in local companies could help ease skills shortages and promote cultural understanding. On the other hand, education cooperation may also increase local institutions' reliance on the Chinese market, and risks need to be balanced. New Zealand Skills and Education College has a practical focus, and its courses combining AI and business intelligence could offer local firms a chance to upgrade their talent.

New Zealand SMEs could watch for these programmes to be implemented and proactively offer internship places or take part in course design to access bilingual talent and market insight.

Keywords: inter-university cooperation, New Zealand Skills and Education College, University of Canterbury, foreign-related legal talent training, memorandum of understanding, short-term study programme, Gao Zhigang, Australia and New Zealand visit

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Source: Shanghai University of Political Science and Law