At GAC MOTOR, the "Realising Dreams of Further Education" service station set up by the OUC Guangzhou branch has become a place of relaxation for the staff. The service station was set up in November 2016 and includes an optional course learning consultation area, a learning experience area, and a reading area.
Learners from GAC MOTOR can opt to apply for courses that they are interested in, study, take part in pre-exam tutoring, and read relevant materials. They can access learning assistance from the OUC without leaving the factory. Under the promotion of the OUC's Assistance Plan, learning has prevailed among the new industrial workers.
At a press conference for the MOE's "Action Plan for Boosting Education and Ability Programme for Migrant Workers: Realising Dreams of Further Education” on 24th March 2017, Wu Qinde, team leader of the Chassis Processing Team, Motor Machinery Division, Overall Power Cost Department, GAC MOTOR said, "I have registered for the OUC's corporate field management special capability training, in the hope of improving my management abilities. Under my influence, four or five people out of the twenty in my team have applied for the junior college and undergraduate college degree." "Online learning is very efficient. You don't have to leave the factory to register of collect the teaching materials. After work, you just need to open your computer for a short while every day. The site of the final exam is at the company. It is very convenient for us and we do not have to take a long trip to the city proper that is a few tens of kilometers away from the company." Born in the 1990s, Wu Qinde finished his study in his spare time. He now has a college degree and has obtained the title of Guangzhou "Outstanding League Member". He has also obtained permanent residence in Guangzhou.
As one of the vehicles for the MOE's "Realising Dreams of Further Education" programme, the "Assistance Plan for the Training and Development of New Industrial Workers" (hereinafter referred to as the "Assistance Plan") was launched in 2014. The Assistance Plan actively explores the integration of degree and non-degree education, the interconnection between modern vocational education and continuing education, the mutual integration of online and offline learning, and a new personnel training pattern for the integration of industry and education, in order to boost industry transformation/upgrading, and employee growth and development. In 2015, the OUC worked together with the Guangzhou Federation of Trade Unions to promote the “Large Scale Staff Training Activity" in Guangdong, laying the foundations for the "Guangdong model" and exploring a new path for the nationwide promotion of the Assistance Plan. The features of the Assistance Place mainly lie in the following aspects: to explore the "five connections" (between discipline setup and industrial requirements; between course contents and vocational standards; between teaching process and production process; between graduation certificates and vocational qualification certificates; between vocational education and lifelong learning); to establish a group of modern manufacturing and product service majors oriented towards the transformation of Guangdong's economic social development model and the promotion of industrial transformation and upgrading; to bring in position skill training certificate and national vocational qualification certificate; and to explore a new model of "bringing teaching to companies", "learning on the job", and "attending university with the help of government subsidies". These initiatives have realised the university dream of many industrial workers.
Customised Learning Exclusively for Industrial Workers
In autumn 2014, the OUC worked together with its branches, industrial and corporate colleges, local colleges, and study centres to carry out extensive cooperation with relevant industry associations, enterprises, and trade union systems. They made full and effective use of modern information technology to integrate high-quality education teaching resources. The OUC launched the pilot Assistance Plan to carry out degree and non-degree education for incumbent staff on the front line of production and services. The Assistance Plan closely integrates study and practical application, creating a link between the educational system and enterprises’ employee training systems. Industrial workers can obtain professional knowledge related to their occupation and get the corresponding certificate in a fast and convenient way, without holding up their work.
Within the Assistance Plan, learners who have obtained an ordinary high school, vocational high school, vocational school, and secondary vocational school graduation certificate and above can register for relevant majors for degree education. They may be granted an OUC graduation certificate and MOE e-registration for a graduation certificate if they meet the following requirements: completing the required course credits according to the graduation regulations; obtaining at least one vocational qualification certificate or job qualification certificate; meeting the ideological and moral requirements. In addition, the Assistance Plan will launch the special "course openness" pilot. On-the-job workers can choose to register for courses that they are interested in, get a completion certificate for a single course or obtain a vocational qualification certificate or certificate of job skills training in accordance with the relevant regulations. Learners that meet the degree education entrance qualifications can accumulate course credits and then apply to obtain a degree certificate according to the graduation rules.
On 30th December 2014, the Assistance Plan established its first digital enterprise study centre, Wanbao Modern Enterprise University. This is a typical case illustrating the implementation of the Assistance Plan and is a customised learning paradigm exclusive to industrial workers.
With more than 20,000 employees, Wanbao Modern Enterprise University relies on OUC Guangzhou Wanbao Modern Enterprise University as a platform to build a talent training centre that integrates degree education, skills training, the evaluation of highly-skilled personnel, and special work certification. It brings teaching to households, offers targeted training, provides staff with one-stop education services such as elementary course study, registration, entrance, study, exam, certificate issuance, subsidies, and welfare claims. Wanbao Modern Enterprise University makes use of a new staff education model, possesses a modern corporate system and service system, prioritises online distance education, and brings the service to the staff. For the follow-up work, the University will communicate with OUC (Guangzhou) Experimental School in order to focus on building a degree major, vocational skill courses, and core job training that are oriented towards the core positions of the enterprise; digitalise internal courses and include the courses in the training centre content; create special subjects that reflect the characteristics of Wanbao; and assign full-time management personnel to be responsible for the daily work of the college and help employees better grasp their curriculum knowledge.
After the University is completed, education resources from various channels will be introduced, rapidly improving the quality of corporate personnel training and decreasing the cost of corporate training. At the same time, staff can gain a comprehensive understanding of the education welfare policy of the provincial, municipal, and enterprise trade union system, obtaining more time-saving, effective, convenient, and affordable education opportunities. The University will help Wanbao Group build a learning-type enterprise, cultivate a batch of learning-type staff, improve its core competitiveness, build a brand as an outstanding employer, and push the trend of Chinese enterprise-built universities to the next level.
The Unparalleled Advantages of University-Enterprise Cooperation
The Assistance Plan is rich in content and powerful in function, including higher vocational education oriented towards on-the-job workers, vocational qualification certification, and job skills training. The Assistance Plan has provided courses and learning resources for industry and enterprise staff training and lifelong learning, particularly with regard to digital learning support services. The Assistance Plan for degree education focuses on majors for the modern manufacturing industry and production services. At present, it largely focuses on higher vocational education majors at the junior college level.
Today, the Assistance Plan provides a good opportunity for the promotion of the integration of degree education and non-degree training, boosting the construction of open universities, the transformation of the radio and TV university system, and serving enterprise transformation and upgrading. Since the launch of the Assistance Plan, the OUC has actively cooperated with industries and enterprises to develop “customised industry/enterprise" certificate courses according to the requirements of industries and enterprises. After completing the courses, learners can obtain relevant certificates. In addition, students can use the credit bank to transfer the vocational qualification certificate and job skills training certificate they have obtained into credits for related degree education majors.
The Assistance Plan serves enterprise transformation and upgrading, helping to boost employee growth and development. The Assistance Plan is adapted to technological progress, the transformation of production methods, and the needs of social public services. It is committed to cultivating a useful and high-quality workforce with a high retention rate, and professionals with technical skills for the manufacturing and service front line, aiding the transformation and upgrading of industries and enterprises. The Assistance Plan explores new patterns and mechanisms for the OUC in cooperating with the industries and enterprises; promotes the connection between the OUC school running system and the industrial/corporate staff training system; and serves the construction of learning industries and learning-type enterprises. The main advantage of the Assistance Plan lies in fully resolving the lack of adaptability among enterprise employees. This is unparalleled among degree education and has gained a great deal of popularity with the enterprises.
In July 2016, the OUC signed a cooperation agreement with McDonald's (China) in Beijing. They worked hand in hand to build the "McDonald’s Pursuit of Going to University " plan, exploring an "Internet Plus" staff continuing education model based on the "integration of production and education, and university-enterprise cooperation". According to the agreement, the OUC will rely on a three-dimensional nationwide urban and rural education organisation system, and integrated online/offline education service abilities in order to build a one-stop service platform for the "McDonald 's Pursuit of Going to University” plan. The platform has provided non-degree and degree integrated design education services for 120,000 workers at 2,200 McDonald's (China) stores, enabling them to learn without leaving their post, and thus effectively cultivating their vocational skills and improving their degree education level. Following the launch of the project, McDonald's will provide subsidies and student loans for students who apply for the university. One thousand outstanding employees will be granted a full scholarship.
Pilot Implementation Benefits Learners.
Since the launch of the Assistance Plan in 2014, many branches and industrial and corporate colleges have taken part in the Plan, including Guangzhou RTVU, Tianjin RTVU, Shanxi RTVU, Heilongjiang RTVU, Chengdu RTVU, Inner Mongolia RTVU, Shandong RTVU, and Shenyang RTVU, as well as the Automobile School, the Mechanics Industry School, the Software School, and the School of Textiles. Guangzhou Experimental School, Tianjin Binhai New District Experimental School, and Tianfu New District Experimental School have been established and have entered into close cooperation with local enterprises in order to explore a new talent cultivation model, helping a batch of front-line industrial workers to benefit from the Assistance Plan.
From January to March 2015, the Assistance Plan allocated RMB 13.6 million in tuition subsidies for workers, training subsidies for trade unions at all levels, and skills training subsidies for human resources departments in Guangdong province. As of autumn 2016, the Assistance Plan has enrolled around 59,489 students. 41 branches (including industry and corporate colleges) are engaged in Assistance Plan pilot work. The branches and the industry and corporate colleges have set up study centres for the Assistance Plan. A total of 650 centres have been set up. At present, eight education institutions have joined the Assistance Plan with the aim of jointly constructing a practical project oriented towards "post application” and the "integration between degree education and vocational education". They will create customised training contents based on the needs of enterprises for personnel training.
Great progress has been made since the Assistance Plan was launched in May 2014 at the School of Mining of Shanxi RTVU. The School of Mining has currently completed course instruction for all courses, as well as course entrance guidance, discipline web materials, course materials, discipline training programmes and teaching plan, and discipline practical teaching implementation plan, as part of the "first try, first trial" implementation plan. The School has reached a statement of intent of preliminary cooperation with Jinneng Group. It has formulated a strategy of "seeking support from the OUC, society, and enterprises" in order to seek a breakthrough in the cooperation progress. Since the School of Mining undertook the construction of the Mining Safety and Management Sharing major, it has enrolled a total of 3,841 students for the Safety Management and Mining Engineering major, making due contributions to the upgrading of mining enterprises and skill improvement for mining workers.
By Wu Yaqi, OUC