Nikki Collins Managing Director and Mikky Ho China Chairman of the British International Education Association (BIEA) were invited to attend the Sino-British Youth STEM Exchange Symposium and its signing ceremony in Shanghai on March the 22nd. Wunan Xiao the Executive Vice-Chairman of Asia-Pacific Exchange and Cooperation Foundation (APECF) along with Xiaozong Zhang, Director of the Liaison Department of China International Cultural Exchange Centre (CICEC) and Guohua Yuan the President and Zhong Jin the Secretary of the Shanghai Lingang Economic Development (Group) Co.
Under the Aegis of the China International Youth STEM Centre, the Sino-British STEM Youth Exchange Project consists of the BIEA International STEM Youth Innovation Competition, a STEM International Youth Base, the International Youth Leadership Club and the International STEM Youth Research Centre. The aim of the project is to discover and cultivate young talent in science and technology of a high quality at an international level. It also aims to increase the level of teenager’s STEM education by incubating STEM projects so as to pool co-operation and discovery via the International Youth Exchange platform.
President Guohua of the Lingang Group gave a welcoming address. It is the Spring Equinox, and the education of teenagers is similarly a story of spring. He spoke of China’s desire to build an innovative society and country. He stated that it is the mission of every enterprise to cultivate talented young people. The key to the development of the country and its enterprises is the development of its talents. Britain is very experienced in training future talent. With the participation of BIEA many innovative ideas and elements will be injected into the Sino-British STEM Youth Exchange Project. All the institutions present were mainstays in the field of cultural and educational exchanges between China and the UK. He hoped all would speak freely and make suggestions for the promotion of Sino-UK exchanges in the field of science and the education of young people and contribute to the enhancement of friendship between China and the UK.
Secretary Zhong of Lingang Group stated that Shanghai is one of the leading international metropolitan areas in China and is one of the main windows enabling the rest of world to understand China and partake in its economy. As the only large-scale state-owned enterprise under Shanghai Guozi Wei, Lingang Group has built many high-quality industrial parks and sites, whether high-tech or otherwise, over the last ten years. As a builder concerned with urban renewal, Lingang group is upgrading its projects under the wave of reform in the new era of China and is actively introducing new industrial enterprises involving culture, science and technology.
Nikki Managing Director of BIEA watches the Sand Table of the Lingang Industrial Zone in the Lingang Exhibition Hall
Chairman Wunan of the APECF pointed out that it was precisely the attention and enthusiasm of all the distinguished guests, representing science and technological innovation in education, present that had led to the proposal of Sino-British STEM Youth Exchange Project. This project focuses on STEM and will be of great benefit to the future. Technological education is both a simple and complex subject. BIEA will provide with professional British-style STEM resources and the Lingang Group will provide us with the supporting space to house STEM projects. Fostering the technological and scientific education of adolescents is a complex and long project.
Nikki thanked all the participants for their recognition and support. As a non-profit educational organisation promoting British-style international education to countries outside the UK this was greatly appreciated. The BIEA came into being in the wake of Britain’s proposed change in its relationship with Europe in 2016. Since its establishment it has been working to build a level of direct dialogue and exchange within the global educational system. Taiwan aims to broaden its international horizons in the educational field and upgrade its current practices. BIEA’s abundant British educational resources and overseas development model are supported by official bodies such as the UK Department of International Trade and British Council. BIEA’s main business involves early years education, STEM education and focusing on the International STEM Youth Innovation Competition. The BIEA STEM League (S-League), a key project in STEM education, has attracted much attention from institutions and enterprises within education in China. It is the aim of BIEA’s STEM education that young students and educators in China benefit from Britain’s advanced and mature STEM education system.
Nikki also mentioned that BIEA held its first STEM Conference in London at the beginning of this year and that it had attracted worldwide attention. At the same time more than 32 countries and regions had registered for the International STEM Youth Innovation Competition, including several Chinese school teams, in just two months. The competition is the best interpretation and illustration of STEM’s educational concept in Britain. It is not only intended to cultivate student’s technological innovation skills, but also to connect young people from all over the world in using technology to provide humane and positive solutions to worldwide problems.
The participants agreed that the Sino-British STEM Youth Exchange Project is an international and large-scale science and technology effort that gathers high-quality resources from the cultural, educational and scientific communities of China and Britain. Its creation will attract global attention and become an important part of China, Britain’s and the world’s youth talent development plans.
CICEC, APECF, the Lingang Group and BIEA signed a memorandum of cooperation on the joint construction of the Sino-British STEM Youth Exchange Project at the conclusion of the symposium.
The BIEA delegates took photos with Chairman Wunan and Secretary Zhong in Sany Group
Under the invitation of Secretary Zhong of the Lingang Group, the participants of the symposium visited China’s science and technology project at the Lingang Youth Science and Technology Exhibition Base, Sany Group and the Shanghai Yidasheng Science and Trade Co., Ltd.