Huế, Vietnam — BC Colleges (BCC) announced a new partnership today with the Vietnam Association of Community Colleges (VACC) to promote the two-way flow of students and teachers between British Columbia and Vietnam and to advance the international education interests of both organizations.

Based on a shared commitment to strengthen relationships between institutions in BC and Vietnam, the three-year agreement will help facilitate the cultural, academic, and business exchange of educational institutions and foster bi-lateral student and teacher mobility programs.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed by Colin Ewart, President of BCC, and Dr. Pham Tiet Khanh of VACC, during a joint conference on the next generation of international academic partnerships, hosted by the British Columbia Council for International Education (BCCIE) and VACC in Huế, Vietnam.

During the conference BCCIE also launched the Vietnam-Canada Institutional Partnership Initiative, a platform for attending BC and Canadian colleges and universities to partner with VACC colleges to support sustainability and transferability of knowledge, skills, and opportunities for collaboration.

Quotes:

John Bowman, Chair BC Colleges and President North Island College

“Our colleges are delighted to enter into a bi-lateral partnership with the extensive system of Community Colleges in Vietnam, represented by the Vietnam Association of Community Colleges (VACC). The agreement will benefit all parties through greater understanding, collaboration and exchange between our institutions.”

Colin Ewart, President, British Columbia Colleges

“I am delighted to join with Dr. Pham Tiet Khanh of VACC to enter into a partnership agreement that will benefit all of our institutions. Our relationship with Vietnam grows annually, and this agreement will expand opportunities for students from both countries to learn together.”

Randall Martin, Executive Director, British Columbia Council for International Education

“Today’s partnership represents an important step in advancing international education opportunities for students and teachers at BC and Vietnam colleges. It signifies the commitment that BCC, BCCIE, and VACC share in fostering excellence in international education.”

Quick facts:

• British Columbia Colleges is an association of BC’s public, post-secondary colleges. The role of the organization is to work closely with businesses, government, and key stakeholders regarding partnership, investment, and public policy, and to facilitate collaboration between the colleges so they can more effectively produce a well-educated and highly skilled workforce for British Columbia.
• The Vietnam Association of Community Colleges is a social-professional organization, representing a common voice of universities, colleges, and other training institutions following the community college model in Vietnam.