On the morning of July 20, 2016, the signing ceremony & "Dream of Pursuing Further Education" promotional workshop between the OUC and McDonald’s (China) was successfully held in Beijing.

More than 30 people attended the workshop, including Gao Yang, the division chief of the Ministry of Education’s Division of Higher Continuing Education subordinate to Department of Vocational and Adult Education, , the All-China Federation of Labour representative, OUC President Yang Zhijian, OUC Vice President Liu Chen, McDonald’s (China) CEO Phyllis Cheung, McDonald’s senior VP of human resources Jillard Len, McDonald’s (China) COO Lin Huirong, and other related personnel, as well as reporters from China Education Daily and other news media agencies. 

At the workshop, the two sides exchanged views on how to work together to launch the "McDonald’s Pursuit of Dreams University" plan and explore the "Internet Plus" mode of continuing education. Their joint efforts will include "integration of production and education, and enterprise-university cooperation" to benefit workers in accordance with the requirements of the "Dream of Pursuing Further Education" plan issued by the MOE and All-China Federation of Labour.

On behalf of the MOE’s Department of Vocational and Adult Education, Gao Yang, division chief, extended her congratulations regarding the ceremonial signing of cooperation agreement. She said the "Dream of Pursuing Further Education" is an important measure for the MOE and All-China Federation of Labour to promote the construction of a modern vocational education system and continuing education reform. The action is designed to provide opportunities to promote learning among migrant workers, allowing them to develop technical skills. This is of great importance in supporting the transformation of economic development and upgrade of industry structures, helping migrant workers possess stable jobs in cities, improving the well-being index, and imparting a sense of progress. She hoped that both sides would make great progress and numerous breakthroughs in exploring the modes and mechanisms of continuing education, writing a new chapter for the continuing education of migrant workers!

OUC President Yang Zhijian introduced the OUC's implementation of degree education and non-degree training for migrant workers, including the "One College Student Per Village Programme," the "Plan to Boost Training and Development for New Industrial Workers," and the "Training Tens of Millions of Staff Initiative" in Guangdong province. He pointed out that over the past several years, the OUC has pursued the goal of promoting nationwide lifelong learning, paying special attention to education demands and developments as related to grassroots, rural, frontier, and ethnic minority areas, shouldering more social responsibilities at the social level, and promoting educational equality and social justice. Yang Zhijian stressed that, in accordance with the requirements of the "Dream of Pursuing Further Education" joint initiative launched by the MOE and All-China Federation of Labour, the OUC will leverage its advantages in the school organizational system, information technology, and digital learning resources. It will utilize the "credit bank" system to positively explore the new hybrid talent training mode based on the "Integration of Six Networks." The combination of degree and non-degree education, seamless connections between vocational and continuing education, integration of online and offline learning, integration of production with education, enterprise-university cooperation, and the coordination of work and learning will all contribute to achieving these goals. Yang believed that the OUC's cooperation with McDonald’s (China) is the hallmark achievement made since undertaking the "Dream of Pursuing Further Education" programme. Yang called it a landmark event for the OUC in actively exploring cooperation to operate schools with industry enterprises and run "universities in society." The OUC will fully utilize its educational system and modern educational advantages to enable McDonald's workers to learn without becoming disengaged from work; to enhance their professional skills and education level; and to promote the construction of a learning industry and enterprise. 

Phyllis Cheung, CEO of McDonald's (China) gave an overview of McDonald’s development in recent years. She emphasized McDonald's "people-oriented" corporate learning culture and employee training. Phyllis Cheung said that cooperating with the national education institution will help employees accomplish their dreams of study, improve their technical skills and knowledge base, and lay a foundation for McDonald's learners’ future development. She said that McDonald’s would try to provide subsidies and student loans to students who apply to the university. After launching the project, McDonald's will also select 1,000 top employees and provide them with a full scholarship to participate in the "McDonald’s Pursuit of Dreams University" programme, inspiring more employees to pursue further education. 

OUC President Yang Zhijian and McDonald’s (China) CEO Phyllis Cheung signed a cooperative agreement on behalf of the two parties. The agreement clearly states that through the three-dimensional nationwide urban and rural education organization system, as well as the integration of online and offline education service capabilities, the OUC will adhere to the requirements of the "Dream of Pursuing Further Education" programme to work together with McDonald’s China in exploring new modes of personnel training for large-scale enterprises against the background of "Internet Plus."

Through this cooperation, the OUC will build a one-stop service platform of the "McDonald’s Pursuit of Dreams University," providing academic and non-degree education services for more than 120,000 staff across 2,200 McDonald’s China locations. Training includes introducing 10 national vocational skills certification training programs, providing seven undergraduate majors of study, keeping lifelong learning records for McDonald's (China) staff, etc. McDonald's staff will be able to learn at the university level without becoming disengaged from work. Their professional skills and educational level will be greatly enhanced through their studies. McDonald's (China) will also publicize learning activities inside the enterprise, encouraging employees to study at the OUC.

By Lv Qian