Senior staff from South Eastern Regional College (SERC) have returned from a recent trip to Wuhan in China full of inspiration for the development of an education co-operation agreement that was signed in late 2025.
The agreement is with Wuhan Fengya International Education Consulting Co Ltd (WFIECCL) and was established to facilitate student and staff short-term exchanges, alongside a plan to welcome Chinese students to study at SERC for up to one year.
SERC representatives Colin McGuckin, Deputy Chief Executive, Aine McGreeghan, Principal Lecturer Engineering and Computing and Elaine McKeown, Senior International Development Manager, visited Wuhan as guests of WFIECCL, to affirm the agreement and to explore opportunities for collaboration with presidents and senior leaders of two vocational colleges.
The team first met with Dean Zhang Lihong and her team at Wuhan Vocational College of Software and Engineering, which offers 46 programmes covering areas including computer science, AI, and mechanical and electronic engineering.
The college is ready to build practical, productive partnerships across many areas of operation, and discussions helped strengthen a shared commitment to improving the student and staff experience through educational exchanges and to advancing internationalisation of vocational education.
The SERC team was then given a tour of the facilities and viewed the Digital Media Technology Innovation Base, VR/AR Technology Centre, Modern Communication Technology Centre, Smart Electronic Production Platform, and the Creative Arts Centre which has a focus on traditional cultural ceremonies and activities.
Colin McGuckin said, “I really enjoyed our discussions with the team at Wuhan Vocational College of Software & Engineering. What struck me was the enthusiasm on both sides to share ideas and explore how we can work together in a way that benefits our students and staff.”
The SERC visitors then met the team at Nanjing Vocational Institute of Transport Technology, where discussions centred on the potential to send Chinese students to SERC for one year of study on a bachelor’s degree programme.
Reflecting on the visit to Wuhan, Colin McGuckin said, “It has been a really positive week. We’ve had the opportunity to build new relationships, exchange ideas and see first-hand what our partners are doing. I’m coming away very encouraged about what we could develop together.”
