Tuesday 29 April 2014


Over 1,000 leaders in higher education, business and government will gather in Miami Beach from 29 April to 1 May in the 2014 Going Global, one of the greatest international conferences of higher education organised by the British Council. 

Professor Dr Bui Van Ga, Vice Minister of Education and Training, will chair a breakfast session which focuses on higher education partnerships in Vietnam and join Brazilian and Turkish education leaders to talk about the role of internationalisation in driving the world’s fastest growing economies. 

Going Global 2014 will last three days from 29 April to 1 May, with the theme of Inclusion, Innovation and Impact. The opening ceremony will happen at 2.30 30 April 2014 (Vietnam time).

Scheduled for 1 May, the ‘Vietnam-UK: Partnership for Mutual Development’ breakfast session will welcome 40 vice-chancellors and international leads from UK and US leading higher education institutions; Times Higher Education; the Scottish Development International; UK NARIC - the British National Agency responsible for providing information, advice and expert opinion on qualifications worldwide; LFHE, the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education; amongst others.

Participants will be introduced to unique and innovative partnerships with employers and researchers that have been enabling the UK and Vietnam to develop and grow steadily, offering postgraduate qualifications and sponsorship from industry. This will be presented through the project of establishing a Vietnam-UK research led international standards university, led by Aston University (UK) and the University of Danang, (Vietnam), with strong support from the British Council. To date the Vietnam – UK Institute for Research and Executive Education has been founded, laying the foundations for the future Vietnam – UK University. 

A. Prof - Dr Tran Ngoc Ca, Head of the US-based Science and Technology Office, Ministry of Science and Technology will talk about 10 areas of priority within the Vietnam's strategy for science and technology development until 2020 and share his expertise in developing public - private - community partnerships to facilitate innovation in science and technology and forming collaboration work with US partners in key areas such as biotechnology and agriculture, STEM education and research exchange, amongst others. 

Ian Robinson, Deputy Director of the British Council Vietnam, Chair of Vietnam Breakfast Session, said in the ceremony: ‘This is a great opportunity for Vietnam to highlight its Higher Education Reform Agenda to an international audience and connect with a global network. 

Participants from the Ministry of Education and Training will be able to hear presentations from a wide range of experts on the present direction of higher education reform globally which will hopefully support their future planning and policy development.’

Vice Minister Ga will join the president of the Education Council of Turkey and the president of the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development of Brazil to discuss the role of internationalisation for impact in emerging economies. The session is unique in its selection of countries - Vietnam is considered to have the fastest growing middle class in Southeast Asia, expected to have 30 million middle-class and rich consumers by 2020; Turkey, lying at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, has been recognised as a regional power with a growing economy and diplomatic initiatives while Brazil will have much to share as a seventh largest economy by GDP. 

A. Prof – Dr Mac Van Tien, Director of Research of the Institute for Vocational Training (RIVT), Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs will participate in the discussion session about establishing the national qualifications framework, an essential tool for economic integration purposes. The requirement for Vietnam to set the national qualifications framework is more crucial in the progress of integrating to ASEAN labour force market by 2015, as acknowledged by the regional and international community. The lack of a standard-based assessment system for student’s capacity will reduce Vietnamese labour’s competitive capacity, especially with the present high competition among the region.  

The delegation from Vietnam's Ministry of Education and Training led by Vice Minister Ga will also have a bilateral meeting with Sir Martin Davidson, Chief Executive of the British Council and Martin Williams, Director, Higher Education, Department of Business, Skills and Innovation. In this meeting, Vice Minister Ga will highlight those areas that the UK and the British Council could provide support, contributing to the Higher Education Reform agenda of Vietnam, which includes the development of a national qualifications framework, the integration and harmonisation of Vietnam Higher Education to the regional higher education system, doctoral training, research and innovation. The Newton Fund, the latest initiative by the British government to provide nearly 400 million pounds to support innovation in 15 focus countries which include Vietnam, will also be discussed. Boasting the world's largest and most extensive network of education contacts in the world, the British Council will work closely with the British Embassy in Vietnam to ensure the Newton Fund benefits both the UK and Vietnam.   

Notes to Editor

Mr Vu Hai Dang
Communications Manager
British Council
20 Thuy Khue, Tay Ho, Hanoi
T +84 (0)4 38436780 ext 1957
F +84 (0)4 38434962
dang.vu@britishcouncil.org.vn

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