Minister for Education and Skills Joe McHugh T.D. has attended a landmark event in Beijing to cement links between Letterkenny IT and China.
The Donegal college was one of several Irish third level institutes to sign Memorandums of Understanding with Chinese education partners during Minister McHugh’s St Patrick’s Day programme.
The signings, which took place in the Irish embassy in Beijing, aim to expand education links between Ireland and China and offer the chance for students in eight institutions to visit both countries as part of their studies.
LYIT has linked with Chengdu Neusoft University on two fronts.
The first involves new pathway programmes in computing, design/digital arts and business management and marketing.
The second aims to lead to further cooperation opportunities between LYIT and Chengdu Neusoft University and also Donegal County Council and local government in Chengdu, Sichuan.
Minister McHugh said: “The relationship between Ireland and China is strong and is growing. Not only that but the diversity of relationship is impressive. The new opportunities for deeper ties in education and between the County Council and local government are an example of that.
“We are now looking to a new future of relations between LYIT and Chengdu.”
LYIT president Paul Hannigan attended the event along with LYIT’s vice-president John Andy Bonar and Donegal County Council chief executive Seamus Neely and Chengdu President Professor Yinghui Zhang.
LYIT student Zexiao Xiao also attended the signing ceremony to share her experiences of her studies.
Minister McHugh added: “Congratulations to everyone involved, to the teams on both sides, in Ireland and China, in LYIT and Chengdu, who made these announcements possible today.
“Combined international efforts like these are great reflection of the good relations between Ireland and China over the last 40 years.”
The signing ceremony also confirmed links between IT Carlow and Henan University of Animal Husbandry and Economics.
The two institutes have a Memorandum of Understanding to announce a joint institution with four degrees, including a programme in brewing and distilling, and the first student intake is planned for 2020, with each programme recruiting 100-150 students.
University College Cork and Minzu University of China announced a dual degree programme in Environmental Science to help deepen research links.
Dublin Business School and Anhui University of Science and Technology also signed an agreement to explore academic collaboration, credit transfer, student and staff exchange.
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