The Second International Conference for Training Excellent Engineers was Held

　　On September 27, the Second International Conference for Training Excellent Engineers was held in Beijing. Huai Jinpeng, Minister of Education, attended the conference and delivered a speech.

　　Huai Jinpeng stressed that the Chinese government attaches great importance to innovation in engineering science and technology and to the development of engineering education. In recent years, China has continued to increase investment in higher education, especially in engineering education, and has built the world’s largest high-quality system of higher engineering education, with more than nine million students currently enrolled. China has explored a new pathway for cultivating excellent engineers through the integration of science and education and the deep integration of industry and education. This has strongly supported national and regional economic and social development, provided useful references for the reform and development of international engineering education, and shared with the world China’s concepts, practices and approaches in engineering education.

　　Huai Jinpeng pointed out that today’s world is undergoing a deep-going scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation. Global innovation in engineering science and technology has entered an unprecedentedly intensive and dynamic phase, with cluster breakthroughs in key technologies across many fields. In particular, new technologies and new business models represented by artificial intelligence and life sciences are evolving rapidly. Against this backdrop, engineering education faces many new opportunities and challenges, and we must take a developmental perspective to reflect on and advance its reform and innovation. China stands ready to work together with other countries to promote all-round, wide-ranging and multi-level exchanges and cooperation in engineering education, jointly respond to the common challenges facing humanity, continuously improve the quality of engineering education and the effectiveness of talent cultivation, and provide effective pathways and references for the reform and development of international engineering education. To deepen opening-up and cooperation and foster a new global ecosystem for engineering education, Huai put forward three proposals: first, to jointly develop international quality standards for engineering education that are led by the pursuit of excellence; second, to jointly explore new pathways of transformation for international engineering education in the era of intelligent technologies; and third, to jointly build an open and inclusive international cooperation network in engineering education.

　　At the conference, the China Association for Science and Technology, the China Engineering Education Accreditation Association (CEEAA) and the International Engineering Alliance (IEA) signed a joint statement to launch cooperation on building an international mutual-recognition agreement for postgraduate engineering education. Initiated by China, this endeavour, building on undergraduate accords such as the Washington Accord, aims to fill a critical gap in the global mutual-recognition system for high-level engineering professionals, and to establish unified global quality benchmarks for master’s and doctoral training. It will provide strong, internationally oriented talent support for addressing challenges related to artificial intelligence, climate change and sustainable development. In addition, Beihang University, Beijing Jiaotong University, Central South University, South China University of Technology, Tongji University and Chongqing University respectively signed cooperation agreements with the Polytechnic University of Valencia in Spain, State University of Campinas (Unicamp) in Brazil, The Bandung Institute of Technology in Indonesia, the National University of San Marcos in Peru, the University of Nairobi in Kenya and the National University of Laos. These partnerships will focus on close cooperation in training outstanding engineers.

　　The conference was hosted by the China Consortium for the Training of Outstanding Engineers and co-organised by Beijing Jiaotong University, Central South University, South China University of Technology, China Communications Construction Company Ltd., GEM Co., Ltd., China Southern Power Grid Co., Ltd. and other partners. Attendees included Feng Shenhong, Vice President of the China Association for Science and Technology, Elizabeth Taylor, President of the International Engineering Alliance, José Carlos Quadrado, President of the European Network for Accreditation of Engineering Education (ENAEE), as well as guests and experts from over 120 universities, enterprises, research institutions and professional associations from more than 30 countries and regions. (Source: Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China)