They also met with Education Minister Leighton Andrews to discuss Welsh education policies.

“The education systems in China and Wales complement each other”

Mr Li, a senior official from Chongqing Education Commission who led the delegation, said: “The delegation of principals and officers are finding common ground and are also discovering that the education systems in China and Wales complement each other.”

It was the first official visit focusing on VET hosted by the Wales-Chongqing Further Education Consortium, part of Colleges Wales (UK) International. Formed in 2011 by ten colleges, the consortium works to promote Welsh further education in China through member services, delivering conferences, research, consultancy and the sharing of best practice.

In one example, staff and students from colleges visited are participating in a cultural exchange in China organised by Colleges Wales.  And next month a group of teachers from  Chongqing intent on focusing on vocational pedagogy will visit member Ystrad Mynach College. Bryn Davies, chairman of the consortium, said there was ample opportunity for exchanges like these.

“As much as Wales can learn from successful education systems and high performing economies elsewhere, other countries, too, seek to learn from the expertise that resides in Wales’s colleges,” he said.

The Welsh government is backing other efforts to promote Welsh education abroad. Last month it organised a delegation of representatives from further and higher education institutions for a trip to India.

Simon Pirotte, a Colleges Wales board director, said: “Given the scale of skills development required in India, however, there will be strength in an even more joined up approach from educational organisations in Wales.”