April 2025, Nanjing — The official launch of the 2025 Nanjing Vocational Colleges “Upskill the Future Workforce for the Digital Economy” ICDL Teacher Training Programme took place in Nanjing. Educators and key representatives from the education sector joined together to mark the commencement of this year’s project. The project aims to advance the digital transformation of vocational education in the city and strengthen teachers’ capacity to equip students with essential digital skills.
In the opening remarks, Mr. Lan Xiaoyu, General Manager of ICDL China, expressed his appreciation to the Nanjing Education Bureau, Nanjing Vocational Education (Adult) Teaching and Research Office, and participating teachers for their support and collaboration. He highlighted the growing national focus on vocational education and its critical role in nurturing skilled talent to drive the country’s development. Mr. Lan also provided an introduction to ICDL, highlighting the programme’s global recognition and its contribution to raising digital skills standards among educators worldwide.
Mr. Liu Tingyu, Training Director of ICDL China Project Management, introduced the teacher training project, outlining its key modules, content focus areas, and learning objectives. He provided participants with a comprehensive overview of the course and explained the assessment criteria, emphasising that evaluations are designed to be scientific and fair. Mr. Liu stressed that the assessments aim to ensure participants effectively master the knowledge and skills required to integrate digital tools into their teaching practice.
Mr. Zhu Xiaojin, a teacher from Jiangsu Nanjing Engineering Higher Vocational College, also shared his insights during the launch event. He noted that the digital transformation of education is both inevitable and essential, and the introduction of ICDL offers a timely and valuable opportunity for educators. Drawing from his own experience guiding students in the ICDL Digital Challenge competitions over the years, Mr. Zhu highlighted the significant impact of ICDL in building students’ digital skills. He expressed his enthusiasm for continuing the collaboration with ICDL and encouraged fellow teachers to leverage the programme to enhance their capabilities, and cultivate digital expertise to better support students in developing essential skills for the digital age.
During the keynote sharing session, Mr. Qin Wei, Deputy Director of the Nanjing Vocational Education (Adult) Teaching and Research Office, set out three key expectations for the participating teachers. First, he urged Nanjing to raise its ambitions further in the digitalisation of vocational education, recognising them as a vital component of high-quality educational development. In addition, he also encouraged participants to fully appreciate the significance of this training for their professional growth, taking the opportunity to master digital skills that can directly benefit their students. Finally, he also stressed the need for teachers to apply practical digital competencies in their teaching, treating the training seriously by attending sessions regularly and adhering to programme guidelines.
In the closing remarks, Mr. Zhang Hong, Director of the Nanjing Vocational Education (Adult) Teaching and Research Office, thanked ICDL for the ongoing partnership with Nanjing and acknowledged the positive outcomes achieved through previous collaborations. He expressed his hope that the new training initiative would further enhance the digital capabilities of vocational college teachers across the city. Mr. Zhang also encouraged schools to actively participate in the ICDL Asia Digital Challenge as a meaningful way to develop students’ skills and showcase Nanjing’s progress in aligning vocational education with international standards.
With another year of successful launch of the ICDL Teacher Training Project in Nanjing, the project is set to play a vital role in supporting teachers and vocational colleges as they continue to advance digital skills development and drive innovation in vocational education.
