On May 25, the International Forum on Cross-Border E-Commerce—part of the Lecture Series on Skills Development and Technological Innovation for Belt & Road and BRICS Countries—and the Inaugural Meeting of the Social Service Committee of the International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS were successfully held at the BRICS Academy of Skills Development and Technology Innovation (Xiamen).
The event welcomed distinguished guests from South Africa, including Mr. Zukile Mvalo, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Higher Education and Training; Ms. Mapule Ncanywa, Chair of the Working Group on Skills Development, Applied Technology and Innovation of the BRICS Business Council (South Africa); Prof. Mpilo Ngubane, Chief Learning Officer of the Durban City Learning Academy and Executive Director of the UNITAR Global Training Centre Network Durban; Dr. Dovhani Mamphiswana, CEO of the Ekurhuleni Artisans and Skills Training Centre; Mr. Sanele Goodenough Makinane, COO of the South African Centre for Science and Technology; and Mr. Mxolisi Benson Magagula, Administrative Assistant and Project Manager of the same Working Group.
Also in attendance and delivering speeches were Dr. Liu Zhenying, Chair of the Working Group on Skills Development, Applied Technology and Innovation of the BRICS Business Council (China), President of the International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS, and Director of the BRICS Academy of Skills Development and Technology Innovation (Xiamen); Ms. Alina Doskanova, Chair of the BRICS Business Council (Russia) Working Group; Ms. Mapule Ncanywa from South Africa; Mr. Marco A. Cabero Z., President of the Organization of Science and Technology of the Andean Road Countries; and Mr. Eric Esentaev, Director of an independent accreditation body in Kyrgyzstan.
Deputy Director of Xiamen Municipal Education Bureau Mr. Hong Jun and Deputy District Governor of Jimei District People’s Government Mr. Zeng Shengjun also attended. Nearly 200 guests, including leaders, experts, and representatives from enterprises, academic institutions, and research organizations from China, South Africa, Russia, India, and other countries, participated both online and offline.
Dr. Liu Zhenying delivered a keynote speech and announced the 2024 work plan. He highlighted that the BRICS cooperation has officially expanded to 10 member countries, and the Working Group was renamed to focus on "Skills Development, Applied Technology and Innovation." He emphasized the group's commitment to promoting international collaboration through industry-education integration and leveraging international competition results to drive pragmatic cooperation and global exchange of vocational talents, institutions, and enterprises.
This event, the 12th session of the Lecture Series, was supported by the Working Group. Ms. Alina Doskanova stated that in 2024, as Russia chairs the BRICS cooperation, its priorities include:
1. Formulating BRICS Future Skills standards and promoting the harmonization and certification of new skills and technologies;
2. Continuing the BRICS Skills Competition, including the Future Challenge and High-Tech Open Competitions with about 15 contests in Russia;
3. Providing training and capacity building services for trainers and experts (via the Lecture Series);
4. Consulting on skill and technological development to strengthen “BRICS+” cooperation;
5. Supporting digital and technical cooperation, particularly in innovation structures, processes, and mechanisms.
Ms. Mapule Ncanywa emphasized South Africa’s focus on talent development through knowledge exchange and professional training. She introduced initiatives such as establishing future skills training bases, hosting the 2024 Belt & Road and BRICS Skills Development and Innovation South Africa International Competition, and standard and curriculum development.
Mr. Marco A. Cabero Z. and Mr. Eric Esentaev also extended congratulations on the event's success.
Five experts from China and abroad delivered keynote presentations from perspectives such as vocational education, skills development, and industry-education integration.
l Mr. Zukile Mvalo shared insights on “The Development and Future of Vocational Education in South Africa”, introducing the South African education system and exploring potential collaboration with China.
l Prof. Mpilo Ngubane presented on “Digital Pathways for Social Services”, introducing Durban’s municipal training system and how digitalization enhances training efficiency.
l Dr. Dovhani Mamphiswana delivered a talk on “Accelerating Artisan Skills Development in Developing Countries: A South African Case Study”, using vivid examples to illustrate the importance of artisan skills.
l Dr. Liu Zhenying gave a report titled “How BRICS+ Outcomes Can Empower Chinese Enterprises and Vocational Education to Go Global”, outlining international cooperation strategies such as:
1. Advancing the development and harmonization of BRICS Future Skills standards and curricula;
2. Expanding BRICS Future Skills Training Bases ("BRICS Workshops") to other member countries;
3. Building international industry-education communities and joint Academys to facilitate student exchanges, mutual credit recognition, and collaborative innovation;
4. Promoting technology incubation;
5. Continuing the BRICS Lecture Series;
6. Organizing BRICS country visits for hands-on exchange.
l Prof. Zhang Defu, Professor and PhD Supervisor at Xiamen University and Director of the Xiamen Academy of Smart Digital Economy, discussed “New Era of Cross-Border E-Commerce and New Development in Industry-Education Integration”, emphasizing that industry-education integration is a key to cultivating high-quality e-commerce talent and requires joint effort from governments, enterprises, and academia.
III. Forum Reports
The forum featured five distinguished speakers:
l Dr. Mahmood Noori (Long Sheng), General Manager of Beijing Zhongrui Hengda International Trade Co., Ltd. and China-Iran Chamber of Commerce Representative, delivered a report titled “Persian Corridor Cross-Border E-Commerce: A New Bridge Connecting East and West”.
l Mr. Deng Weiming, Head of University-Enterprise Cooperation, XMUANLINK, and General Manager of Xiamen Wanlian Huitong Information Technology Co., Ltd., presented “A New Talent Development Model for Cross-Border E-Commerce Based on Industrial Clusters”.
l Mr. Mamudu Hamidu, Lecturer at Kumasi Technical University and former Technical Delegate of Ghana to WorldSkills, discussed “Improving the BRICS+ ECII Index through Understanding Cross-Border E-Commerce Trends”.
l Dr. Gapurbaeva Shakhnos Rozizhanovna, Associate Professor at the School of Management and Economics, International University of Kyrgyzstan, spoke on “Optimizing Cargo Coordination with Advanced Logistics and Multi-Modal Transport”.
l Mr. Vineet Raj Kapoor, President of SXILL and Founder & Dean of the Chandigarh Design School, presented “Creating a Loving World through Unified Skills”.
Dr. Liu Zhenying announced the structure of the newly established Social Service Committee. He declared that the BRICS Academy of Skills Development and Technology Innovation (Xiamen) and Guangzhou FoST Technology Co., Ltd. would serve as the Secretariat.
During the ceremony, Dr. Liu, Mr. Zukile Mvalo, Ms. Mapule Ncanywa, and Prof. Mpilo Ngubane awarded certificates to committee members. The committee comprises experts from universities, research Academys, and enterprises, aiming to create a platform for collaborative research and addressing key challenges in social services. Through conferences, seminars, and forums, it will foster the exchange of research findings and promote academia-industry cooperation.
Mr. Mai Quanfang, Executive Vice General Manager of Guangzhou FoST Technology Co., Ltd., released the committee's 2024 work plan. He emphasized the committee’s mission: to integrate resources across education, skills, information, and standards in areas like cross-border e-commerce, finance, digital marketing, cultural tourism, and healthcare. Key initiatives include curriculum and base development, competitions, research projects, teacher training, and the establishment of internationalized industry-education integration communities.
This event was co-hosted by the BRICS Business Council Working Group on Skills Development, Applied Technology and Innovation; the International Alliance of Skills Development for Belt & Road and BRICS; and the Belt & Road and BRICS Training Center for Skills Development and Technological Innovation under CAST. It was organized by the Working Group (China) and implemented by the BRICS Academy of Skills Development and Technology Innovation (Xiamen), with support from the South African Department of Higher Education and Training, BRICS Business Council (South Africa) Working Group, Durban City Learning Academy, Ekurhuleni Artisans and Skills Training Centre, and South African Centre for Science and Technology.
Concurrent events included:
l Launch of the 2024 Belt & Road and BRICS Skills Development and Technological Innovation South Africa International Competition & China-South Africa Cooperation Exchange Conference;
l Second BRICS Standard Development Workshop: Supporting High-Quality Development through Technical and Skills Standardization.
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