Jointly Building a New AI-Empowered Ecosystem for Vocational Education: National Alliance for Research on the Application of AI Large Models in Vocational Colleges Was Established in Nanjing

On November 16, the Inaugural Meeting of the National Alliance for Research on the Application of AI Large Models in Vocational Colleges and the Forum on Building Domain-Specific Models for Vocational Education were grandly held in Nanjing. The meeting was hosted by Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology and co-organized by iFlytek Co., Ltd., Jiangsu HopeRun Software Co., Ltd., and Higher Education Press, under the joint guidance of the Informatization Teaching Steering Committee for Vocational Institutions under the Ministry of Education, Jiangsu Education Department, and the Department of Industry and Information Technology of Jiangsu Province. Lin Yu, Director of Center for Vocational Education Development, Ministry of Education, Teng Wei, Vice President of the Graduate School of CETC, Li Jiancheng, Deputy Director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, Ma Wanquan, Director of the Vocational Education Division of the Jiangsu Education Department, Wang Weizhong, Vice President of the Higher Education Press, Kong Jie, Secretary of the Party Committee, Tian Min, President, and Qian Qunlei, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology, and over 220 representatives from more than 30 leading industry enterprises and over 120 vocational colleges nationwide gathered together to map out a new blueprint for the integrated development of AI + vocational education. The inaugural meeting was chaired by Du Qingbo, Vice President of Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology.

Farsighted Vision: Building National Strategic Consensus and Opening a New Chapter in Intelligent Vocational Education

At the meeting, Lin Yu, Director of Center for Vocational Education Development, Ministry of Education, shared three points in his keynote speech. First, we must deeply recognize the unprecedented urgency of educational digitalization. He pointed out that from informatization and digitalization to intellectualization, technological iteration has been constantly accelerating, and artificial intelligence is reshaping society and education at a speed beyond expectations, so we must proactively embrace this change. Second, we must accurately grasp the key aspects of building domain-specific models for education. He emphasized that high-quality datasets are the core challenge in model construction, and it is necessary to focus on innovative application scenarios, promote the upgrade of models from general capabilities to educational intelligent agents, and meanwhile properly handle the relationship between standardized content and personalized cultivation. Third, we must deepen school-enterprise cooperation to jointly build large models for vocational education. He emphasized that vocational education cannot be a closed-door affair and must rely on leading enterprises in the industry to obtain real data and technical support, deeply integrating the laws of education with industrial needs and transforming AI capabilities into productivity that drives the qualitative transformation of vocational education. Lin Yu stated that the establishment of the Alliance is a timely practice and should become an important force in promoting teacher development, school-enterprise collaboration, and model implementation.

Li Jiancheng, Deputy Director of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, extended warm congratulations in his address on the establishment of the Alliance on behalf of the provincial department. He stated that Jiangsu, as a major manufacturing province, is actively promoting the AI+ initiative, and the establishment of the Alliance will provide talent support for the transition from Made in Jiangsu' to Intelligent Manufacturing of Jiangsu. He expressed his hope that the Alliance can jointly build a new ecosystem and take the lead in industry-education integration, cultivate great-nation intelligent craftsmen with critical thinking and innovative abilities, create replicable and scalable best practices and standards, and provide a Jiangsu model for the nation.

Heavy Responsibilities: Pooling the Alliance's Strengths and Defining the Development Path

Teng Wei, the First Chairman of the Alliance and Vice President of the CETC, elaborated on the Alliance's development vision and implementation path in his speech. He pointed out that the Alliance will focus on three core tasks, play a bridging role, accelerate the construction of models and application systems in various professional fields, and improve public teaching application models to help enhance the teaching capabilities of vocational colleges nationwide. He emphasized that the Alliance's primary task is to implement the plan for building domain-specific models required by the Center for Vocational Education Development, Ministry of Education, and to effectively promote the development and implementation of major+AI application solutions.

Wang Weizhong, Vice President of Higher Education Press, spoke as a representative of the co-organizer. He introduced the Press's explorations in the Long Feng Education Large Model and the development of digital resources for vocational education. He also stated that they will actively use artificial intelligence to promote a dual enhancement of educational quality and efficiency and will fully support the Alliance's intelligent upgrading in key areas such as curriculum, textbooks, and practical training.

As the representative of the organizer, Kong Jie, Party Secretary of Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology, shared the college's pioneering practices in the field of artificial intelligence in his welcome speech. He stated that the College has laid a solid industrial and data foundation for the development of vertical models through a series of measures in program development, talent cultivation, and industry-education integration. He proposed that, going forward, alliance members should jointly build bridges of connection, develop new standards, cultivate new talent, and create new achievements. Together, they will strive to establish the alliance as a national demonstration hub, contributing practical efforts to the integrated development of AI + vocational education.

Ceremony witness: collaborative efforts from universities and enterprises to solidify the practical foundation

Amid the countdown of all attendees, 20 co-initiating units, including Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology, ZTE, Alibaba Cloud, and iFLYTEK, joined leaders on stage to witness the establishment of the National Alliance for Research on the Application of AI Large Models in Vocational Colleges. This marked a new chapter in vocational education's proactive integration into the intelligent era.

The Career Guidance Center of the China Vocational Education Association/Beihang University Joint AI Laboratory - NJCIT Application Center, the NJCIT-HopeRun Software AI + Information Technology Application Innovation Industry College, and the National Virtual Teaching and Research Office for General AI Courses were officially unveiled, showcasing the alliance's innovative layout in integrating industry, science, and education. Finally, during the donation ceremony, companies including Beijing Huatec, iFLYTEK, Jiangsu HopeRun Software, Nanjing Chaoxing Yunzhou Education Technology Co., Ltd., and Zhejiang Dahua Smart IoT Operation Service Co., Ltd. made donations to the college. This fully demonstrated the deep involvement and strong support of these enterprises for the development of vocational education, and the donation has injected strong momentum into the future development of the alliance.

Knowledge sharing: gaining insight into frontier challenges and collaborating on solutions

During the academic report session, Han Xibin, a tenured professor at Tsinghua University, delivered an in-depth presentation titled Challenges and Countermeasures in the Construction and Application of Large Models for Vocational Education. He pointed out that the development of large models for vocational education currently faces numerous challenges, including outdated corpora, questionable effectiveness, and a fragmented ecosystem. He systematically proposed a series of targeted solutions, such as restructuring teaching models, strengthening the evidence chain, and jointly building a collaborative ecosystem.

The Forum on the Construction of Vertical Domain-Specific Models for Vocational Education, held in the afternoon, focused on cutting-edge practices and practical implementation, driving the conference to another climax. Six experts from universities and leading industry enterprises, including Miao Qiguang, Director of the Information Promotion Office at Xidian University; Yu Wenqian, Assistant to the President of Beijing Huatec Information Technology Co., Ltd.; Professor Yang Zhongming from Guangdong Polytechnic of Science and Technology; Liu Taijun, General Manager of the Education Business Group at Jiangsu HopeRun Software Co., Ltd.; Xu Xue, Deputy Dean of the Higher Education Research Institute at iFLYTEK Co., Ltd.; and He Miao, Dean of the School of Artificial Intelligence at Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology, shared insightful reports. The series of reports provided substantial content, offering valuable theoretical guidance and practical examples for the construction and application of vertical domain-specific models in vocational institutions.

Conference summary: building consensus and embarking on a new journey

At the forum's conclusion, Tian Min, President of Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology, delivered the closing address. He highlighted the event's substantial outcomes and far-reaching significance, noting that it had deepened the understanding of the vital importance of empowering vocational education with AI large models and had clarified the alliance's future goals and pathways. On behalf of the College, he expressed sincere gratitude to the experts and participants, emphasizing that the College would work hand-in-hand with all member units to advance the development of vertical-specific model standards, restructure curricula, and innovate teaching models. Through the alliance, he stressed, a new future for AI-empowered vocational education will be explored.

The establishment of the National Alliance for Research on the Application of AI Large Models in Vocational Colleges marks a new beginning and serves as a platform for uniting forces. All parties will seize this opportunity to jointly explore new pathways and innovative models for AI-empowered vocational education, pool wisdom and efforts to cultivate digital craftsmen for the intelligent era, drive high-quality development in vocational education, and contribute to the establishment of a modern industrial system.

Photo by Party and College Administration Office 

Text by Gao Meng, Party and College Administration Office

Reviewed by Chen Xiaobo, Party and College Administration Office