In order to enhance the cooperation between TUTE and higher education institutions in New Zealand and Australia, TUTE’s president, Prof. Liu Xin, accompanied by Ms. Zhai Fengjie， director of International Affairs office, visited the two countries from Aug. 30th to Sept. 6th, at the invitation of Waikato Institute of Technology in New Zealand and TAFE Directors Australia in NSW.

From Aug. 31st to Sept. 3rd, Prof. Liu stayed at Waikato Institute of Technology, where she met with Prof. Mark Flowers，the president of Waikato Institute of Technology; Mr. David, the vice-president responsible for academic activities; Mr. Sami, the vice-president in charge of international affairs.

During the meeting, the two parties reviewed the fruits of the English-teacher training program, through which until now TUTE had sent 2 batches of English teachers (totally 8 teachers) to the college to receive short-term ESL teaching training. The program had been well received by TUTE’s English teachers and its results had turn out to be remarkable, as Prof. Liu put it. In the future, TUTE would keep sending more teachers to be trained in this college. Those who had finished their training and returned would be required to do demo teaching and to share with the faculty what they had learnt from the program. Prof. Liu and Prof. Mark Flowers also talked about the possibility of TUTE sending staff in technological fields to New Zealand to receive short-term training.

A new project, sponsored by Hanban China, will get started from February 2016, through which TUTE is going to send Chinese language teachers and volunteers to begin a Chinese language program in Waikato Institute of Technology. In this aspect, Prof. Liu and Prof. Mark Flowers came to a preliminary agreement after discussion.

The two parties exchanged their views on the possibility of cooperative education, or student exchange program, through which a college student may spend 3 years studying in China and the last year in New Zealand, or alternatively 2 years at home and another 2 overseas. As far as this arrangement was concerned, the two presidents came to an initial understanding.

Accompanied by Mr. Sami, the vice-president in charge of international affairs, Prof. Liu and Ms. Zhai visited the teaching, experimenting and training facilities of the college.

On Sept 4th and 5th, Prof. Liu paid a visit to TAFE Directors Australia in NSW, Australia. David Riordan， Director of Sydney TAFE， met with Prof. Liu. The two parties exchanged their views on potential cooperation, including joint research programs and exchange teacher projects, and later signed a cooperation memorandum. Afterward, Prof. Liu met with Melinda Waters，Director of Technical and Tertiary Education. Their talk delved further into international exchange collaboration possibilities.