Cross-border Cooperative Path: A Case Study of Vocational Education Cooperation in the Cambodian Luban Workshop

• In Event: Higher Education, Internationalisation, and Students

Proposal

The protest is a public act aimed at upholding educational justice as a fundamental human right. It serves to raise awareness, influence policy and decision-making, and mobilize transnational advocacy networks in the field of international relations (Keck M. E. & Sikkink K., 2002). Protests play a crucial role in promoting global educational justice and equality, as they shape thoughts and ideals that foster cross-border cooperation between countries. As a manifestation of the cross-border cooperation, the Luban Workshop serves as an ideal extension, supporting education for all and the bilateral education cooperation.

As a branding programme for promoting the development of the Belt and Road Initiative, the Luban Workshop aims to achieve in-depth communication and cooperation in vocational education with other countries. With the support of the Tianjin Municipal Party Committee and Municipal Government, this programme has established over 20 Luban Workshops in 19 countries since 2016 (MoE, 2022). As part of the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism, the Cambodia Luban Workshop (CLW), unveiled on October 28, 2018, is one of the Luban workshops. It is jointly established by the Tianjin Sino-German University of Applied Sciences (TSGUAS), the National Polytechnic Institute of Cambodia (NPTC), and related enterprises, making it currently the largest workshop of its kind (Zhao Y., 2021).

As a vocational education partner, TSGUAS has transmitted a series of vocational and technological standards to assist in optimizing the vocational education and training system and cultivating workers in Cambodia. As the recipient, NPTC aims to promote the career development of skilled talents through bilateral cooperation in the CLW, improve the quality of employment in the domestic market, and achieve the national strategic goals. The following research addresses three questions: Why did NPTC adopt Chinese vocational education standards from TSGUAS? How did TSGUAS collaborate with NPTC to reference and import the vocational education standards? What kind of mechanism was formed during the cooperation?

To address the three aforementioned questions, this research utilized norm diffusion as the theoretical basis to explain the reasons, approaches, and mechanisms of cooperation within the CLW. Norm diffusion refers to the transfer or transmission of objects, processes, and information from one population or region to another. The process can take place through various mechanisms, including communication, adoption, socialization, etc. (Zimmermann L., 2017). In the CLW programme, communication involves the transmission of ideas, values, and standards from TSGUAS to NPTC. Adoption refers to the initial acceptance and integration of these new standards into NPTC's behavior, and its ongoing adherence to the norms over time. Socialization is the process through which NPTC acquires the ideas, values, and standards of a particular society or group. It involves learning and internalizing these norms through social interactions and experiences.

At the methodological level, we utilized a thematic qualitative approach to analyze the text and interview data. The data sources for this study included academic archives, oral interviews, and government policies. All the data were categorized into two types. Firstly, we reviewed academic archives and official policy documents. Secondly, we conducted interviews with ten staffs who were involved in the CLW. Following an open-coding process, we identified specific approaches and factors related to bilateral interaction in the CLW, such as aims, measures, values, principles, etc. Subsequently, by analyzing the relationships among these factors within the bilateral cooperation, we present the interactive mechanism of this programme.

The findings in this study respond to the research questions from three aspects. Firstly, the CLW has benchmarked the Cambodia Rectangular Strategy, which focuses on enhancing the industrial economy and employment rate. The Cambodian government adopts the TSGUAS training experience to address the shortage of human resources and outdated industrial technology. Consequently, the CLW is perceived as a bilateral cooperative pilot that aims to implement Chinese vocational training standards within NPTC to enhance capacity building and the skill development of talents.

Secondly, there are two approaches to facilitate the interaction between the two universities, which involve the transmission of training standards and the provision of equipment. NPTC has provided an extensive physical space for implementing this programme. TSGUAS has contributed vocational training courses, textbooks, skill qualifications, and teaching plans, and has also dispatched teachers to NPTC. Additionally, the CLW has offered internship opportunities for skilled talents, both within local enterprises and abroad.

Thirdly, there is a sustainable mechanism for bilateral vocational education cooperation between the two countries. As a cooperative platform, the CLW has hosted a series of events to achieve multifunctional collaborative development in vocational education. These events have included cultural exchanges, skill competitions, and student mobility. Additionally, the CLW has facilitated the transmission of several vocational education and training standards, contributing to the establishment of a vocational education cooperation system between the two countries.

The conclusion of this study involves two aspects, including national strategy and bilateral cooperation. On the one hand, the CLW aligns with the strategic demand of Cambodia and supports the Cambodian government in achieving its national strategic goals. The Rectangular Strategy aims to revitalize Cambodia’s economic development by promoting employment market growth and adjusting the industrial structure. According to the strategy, the Cambodian government recognizes the need to adopt an effective vocational education framework to achieve its strategic goals and address issues within the industrial sector. Thus, learning the training models and standards from TSGUAS aims to train skilled talents that can contribute to the Cambodian job market and enhance capacity building for national economic development.

On the other hand, the CLW serves as a bilateral collaborative action that aims to optimize the vocational education ecosystem in Cambodia. Firstly, the Cambodian government has adopted the Chinese version of the vocational education standards to improve its framework and training regulations. Secondly, the provision of technical equipment and financial support from China has created a teaching and internship environment to facilitate high-quality training of skilled talents. Thirdly, the CLW establishes a cooperative link between vocational training and the industrial demands, contributing the upgrading of industrial system in Cambodia.

Author

• Xiaodong WANG, Beijing Foreign Studies University