Dr Cloud Bai-Yun is the Chief Executive of Ecctis, the supplier of the UK ENIC (former UK NARIC) service. It is the only UK’s national agency providing information and expert opinion on vocational, academic and professional qualifications worldwide. Under Dr Bai-Yun’s dynamic and pioneering leadership, UK NARIC has been transformed from a low-profile operation to a major, internationally recognised leading information service provider.
Her career history also included designing and developing the National Reference Point for Vocational Qualifications (NRP) since its inception in 2001; the National Europass Centre since 2005; the National Contact Point on Professional Qualifications from 2008, and the European Credit system for Vocational Education and Training (ECVET) Centre for England in more recent years.
Dr Bai-Yun was the driving force and creator of the first ever comprehensive database of its kind, the UK’s Crown copyright databank, International Comparisons. Its subscription services have now expanded to 62 countries across five continents worldwide. She was also the designer of the unique UK NARIC Band Framework, a prized intellectual property of the Crown. She was also the co-designer of the invaluable instrument of EQPR, the European Qualifications Passport for Refugees.
During the years of her professional career, Dr Bai-Yun has directed and successfully delivered over 200 sectoral, international projects, including the mapping of international qualifications; work-based skills and benchmarking of standards; most recently the pioneering TVET Quality Systems and TNE Qualifications Benchmarking schemes were launched under her guardianship.
Dr Bai-Yun has been a key player in the global market, having served as an elected Board member of the EU NARIC network; the original group member on Recognition of the ASEM Education Process; the elected Vice President for Standards of TAICEP, the Association of International Credential Evaluation Professionals; the Honorary President of the Sino-Britain Skills Alliance; and re-elected member of the Lisbon Recognition Convention Bureau.
Dr Bai-Yun was the founder of GRS Holdings, established in 2014, to support Ecctis in the expansion of her vision, which had now been successfully transitioned to the current EOT structure. Dr Bai-Yun believes passionately in purpose and contributions to societies in everything she does, – ‘there can be nothing more valuable than doing something that really matters to you. Success comes from having a clear vision for something you are passionate about and driving towards it with enthusiasm and hard work. There may be bumps in the road, such as a dramatically changing geopolitical landscape, or a global pandemic(!) but visualising your goal and purpose will help you to achieve your success’.
At the personal level, Dr Bai-Yun has a high level of proficiency in a number of languages. Her original research was in Slavonic Studies and Linguistics, having gained a doctorate in 1997 at the University of Leeds. She also holds professional qualifications in IT, Computing and Business Management.
The World of Qualifications
Presentation
The market for skills and qualifications is increasingly global; and international mobility has been growing accordingly. From the UK’s experience, the decisive shift of the UK economy from manufacturing to services has created a rapidly changing and irreversible demand for professional and technical qualifications. More crucially, significant exigencies for skills, including up-skilling and re-skilling, are expected in the recovery of the world economy in the coming years. Qualifications, the cornerstone of the workforce, are once again at the centre stage.
From the qualifications recognition perspective, Cloud will be looking into the new world of qualifications for the future with the view to identifying opportunities and challenges we face.
Contact
E-mail: cloud.baiyun@ecctis.com
