Prior to Industry Canada, Olivia worked with the Office of the Auditor General and other Canadian federal government departments. She worked for six years in the Chinese public sector.
Having worked for many years in both Canada and China , Olivia has in depth knowledge of the social culture, political and economical systems of both countries. She has great understanding of the importance of information and communications technology in the development of the skill sets required to meet the new challenges in a globally competitive marketplace.
At present, Olivia is working on the development of a successful partnership with China. The purpose of this partnership is to explore opportunities for the collaborative development of educational infrastructure using information communications technology.
Francis Pang is a Canadian entrepreneur and has enjoyed a long business relationship with China. Recognizing the importance of quality, well-educated individuals with a strong international sense to ensure China is competitive in the knowledge-based economy, Mr. Pang proposed a Sino-Canadian Joint Cooperative School during a Team Canada visit to China in 1994.
After arranging and funding many discovery visits between Chinese and Canadian educators and senior officials, partnerships were arranged with the New Brunswick Department of Education, New Brunswick Department of Advanced Education and Labour, and The Experimental Middle School attached to the Beijing Normal University. Mr. Pang then funded and established the Beijing Concord College of Sino-Canada which is the first Sino-Foreign school in Beijing, China offering dual certificates to students recognized by both Chinese and Canadian Governments. Presently, the school offers integrated Chinese and Foreign High School curriculum and a Community College program that consists of completely Canadian curriculum.
In partnership with Industry Canada’s Office of International Partnerships, the University of New Brunswick, and New Brunswick Educational Departments, Mr. Pang has successfully positioned Canadian educational products and related services in the Chinese market through the establishment of the Sino-Canada SchoolNet Virtual Campus. Honorable John Manley, Minister of Industry, Canada, officially opened the Sino-Canada SchoolNet Virtual Campus on May 16, 1998. This virtual campus provides potential educational opportunities for millions of students throughout China and provides a gateway for Canadian educational institutions and information technology companies to the Chinese market.
Francis Pang’s efforts in education have opened up opportunities for
the people of both China and Canada. In January 1998, Mr. Pang organized
and funded a cultural and educational visit to Canada for 76 Chinese students
and teachers for three weeks. He has provided employment opportunities
for Canadian teachers at the college in Beijing, organized a Chinese Language
and Cultural Summer Camp for Canadian and foreign students, established
Canadian scholarships and awards in partnership with Canadian corporations
for Chinese students, and has established an internship program for Canadian
post-secondary students. In recognition of his efforts, Mr. Pang
has been appointed Honorary Director of the National Federation of UNESCO
Associations of China and Executive Director of Beijing Superior Educational
Award Foundation.
Through the activities of Industry Canada and its partners, considerable effort has been expended to build the information highway backbone in Canada, including the learning network. Industry Canada — Information Highway Applications Branch's SchoolNet, a set of Internet-based educational services and resources, is well on the way to achieving its goal of "connecting" Canada's schools and libraries before the next millennium.
The success of SchoolNet has captured the attention of countries around the globe. The Office of International Partnerships (OIP), Industry Canada SchoolNet is designed to provide a gateway to the Canadian expertise to respond to the extraordinary interest expressed by various countries in improving their learning and training systems using the latest technologies.
By providing a single point of access, OIP is able to link foreign governments, agencies and companies looking to build their own electronic learning networks with the Canadian companies, organizations and entrepreneurs that develop and apply information and communications technologies to learning and training.
OIP is actively pursuing joint ventures with China. At present, we have signed agreements with the Educational Technology Office, State Education Commission of P. R. China. The purpose of those agreements is to identify ways in which Canada and China can collaboratively develop procedures to advance our learning and training systems through the use of information communication technology. To achieve this goal, Industry Canada’s SchoolNet through its OIP work closely with the Beijing Concord College of Sino-Canada.
The Beijing Concord College of Sino-Canada (BCCSC), as a Sino-Canadian
Co-operative joint venture school, is a technological leader in the application
of information technology to learning in China.