On August 6, the Open University of China (OUC) established Yanoda School of International Tourism in Hainan. Jointly founded by Hainan Radio and TV University (RTVU) and Hainan Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone, the School aims to set up universities for businesses and train badly needed qualified personnel, through an innovative model combining school-enterprise cooperation and professional training. The founders said they would strive to make Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone the first open education model of a "learning" enterprise in Hainan.
Under the cooperation agreement, both sides will follow the principle of "mutual benefit and common development" and jointly implement the "project for enhancing the overall quality of the Yanoda staff" in order to train a total of 200 backbone workers to a minimum of junior college degree level over the course of three years.
According to the Agreement, Hainan RTVU is responsible for the overall implementation of teaching, with online teaching as the main teaching method, and will hire high-level teaching staff to visit the area for regular face-to-face lectures and tutorials. Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone is responsible for establishing the Yanoda Branch based on the living area of the Yanoda staff and establishing a multi-media learning centre for students in accordance with the open education model to build a learning platform for the staff who make use of their spare time for learning. It intends to formulate policies to encourage learning, establish medium-level open education classes, and introduce the linking mechanism in higher education, so as to enhance the education level of enterprise employees. In addition, in order to meet the needs of business recruitment each year, both sides will adopt the "admission means employment" approach. This means that each year the School will enroll around 100 people as "readymade employees", meaning they have the chance to attend school at the same time as working, with their enterprise covering part of their tuition.
Li Hongmei, Secretary of the Party Committee of Hainan RTVU delivered a speech at the ceremony. She said that the establishment of the OUC Yanoda School of International Tourism in Hainan is a specific initiative for the OUC to implement the spirit of the National Working Conference on Vocational Education, and also a bold move in the direction of modern vocational education. She said that the School will cooperate with Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone to create a paradigm of school-enterprise cooperation and vocational education according to Yanoda’s requirements for excellence in ecology, culture, education and tourism, making Yanoda Branch an example of mutual learning and mutual promotion. Furthermore, it will contribute to Hainan’s development as an international tourism destination. She added that, in the future, the School will continue to adhere to the operational principles of "building a learning society", "accelerating the vocational skills of qualified personnel in the province" and "serving the environment of an international tourism destination". It will make the demands of employees and enterprises the focus and goal of its operations, making full use of the advantages of modern open and distance education, combining degree education and skill training to enhance skills-based and application-oriented personnel development.
Chen Yao, Inspector for Hainan Tourism Development Council; Zheng Youji, Vice Chairman of Hainan Provincial Federation of Trade Unions; Xie Yuehua, Vice President of Hainan RTVU; Deng Changqing, Associate Researcher in the Higher Education Division, Education Department Of Hainan Province; Zhang Tao, President of Yanoda Rainforest Cultural Tourism Zone; and other relevant leaders from Baoting County attended the ceremony.
By Su Xiaoyun, Hainan RTVU