The University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, or USST, a well-known educational institution for engineering, has succeeded in cultivating international talent by strengthening its connections to industry.
The Sino-German College, a cooperatively run school established in 1998, is another example of such practice. The college sees its close relationship with industry and enterprises as a key part of its development strategy.
According to the college, its cooperation with enterprises is used as an important path to strengthen the curriculum and faculty development. A comprehensive, multilevel cooperation model has been formed, which combines a business advisory committee, enterprise partners, an enterprise practice base and a joint laboratory. This provides broader support for improving students' innovative ability, the curriculum and talent training.
The business advisory committee for the Sino-German College, officially established in 2006, aims to strengthen the cooperation between the college and enterprises in the fields of teaching and research, construction of practice bases as well as college students' employment.
Focusing on market trends, the college has innovated to cultivate talent with the curriculum adjusted to industry demand. At the same time, cooperating enterprises also meet the college's requirements of practical training, professional laboratory construction, teaching and scientific research. This has resulted in resources sharing between the college and enterprises.
Over the years, the college has formed strategic partnerships with a number of multinationals and organizations, such as Shanghai Volkswagen, Continental, Schneider Electric, ZF, Siemens, German Centre Shanghai German Chamber of Commerce, Hamburg Liaison Office Shanghai and German Academic Exchange Service, or DAAD.
The talent training base set up in cooperation with German auto parts maker ZF was listed as a city-level key project by local education authorities in 2015.
Other achievements include the industrial digital joint training base, which, in cooperation with Schneider Electric, was evaluated as a national-level project by the Ministry of Education in 2018. In the project, the college and enterprise jointly built an intelligent manufacturing industry 4.0 experimental platform. It introduced the new technologies of artificial intelligence and intelligent manufacturing into teaching and allowed Chinese and German students to research together. Students' interdisciplinary and teamwork abilities have been significantly improved as a result.
In addition to carrying out cooperation with outside enterprises and organizations, the college also pays attention to its own development. A Career Center was established in 2014 with the support of the DAAD and German company, Constellations. It functions as a bridge between the college and enterprises and provides individual support for students' future employment.
In 2019, another career workshop in the college was approved by local education authorities as a student development and education base. Together with the Career Center, the workshop helps form an organic pathway for students' career planning and development, according to the college.
The Sino-German College said it will step up efforts to strengthen cooperation with enterprises and promote the cultivation of high-level international talent.
The college will refer to the model and academic standard of Germany to cultivate graduates with Chinese and German master's degrees, it said.
In cooperation with the University of Stuttgart, the college's tool technology laboratory of computerized numerical control machines is under construction. Cooperative master's programs with Kaiserslautern University of Technology, HAW Hamburg and affiliated enterprises are also being prepared. On top of that, exchanges and cooperation with HAW Hamburg will be expanded.
Cai Yonglian, vice-president of the USST, said the Sino-German College is an example of the USST's pursuit of international education.
Since its establishment in 1998, the college has cultivated a large number of excellent graduates with a high level of expertise and an international perspective, Cai said.
