A center for international cooperation on the Chinese language and vocational skills is officially launched in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province, on Nov 5. [Photo/jstv.com]

A center for international cooperation on the Chinese language and vocational skills was officially launched in Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu province, on Nov 5, local media reported.

The center is the first of its kind in China which aims to explore innovative development in formulating standards, sharing educational resources, cultivating international faculty members, and carrying out Chinese proficiency tests in vocational skills.

It will make full use of the internet, big data and artificial intelligence to open joint laboratories and smart classrooms, as it looks to create an integrated and digitalized system for sharing resources related to the Chinese language and vocational skills.

Vocational schools, enterprises and language education institutions were encouraged to work with the center to build an environment conducive to faculty training, student cultivation, and the development of teaching resources.

The center will also strive to close the gap between the surging demand for talent in overseas markets and the lack of qualified personnel.

The idea to set up the center was conceived by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation of the Ministry of Education and Nanjing Vocational University of Industry Technology.