The OUC Education and Training Centre is an independent legal entity and specialised institution for non-degree continuing education established by the Open University of China (OUC). It is one of the sub-centres of the Credit Bank for learning result accreditation set up by the OUC, an OUC Research Centre for the Integration of Industry and Education, as well as a national continuing education base for professional and technical personnel.
It is an institution that undertakes the business of the OUC public service system for social examinations (the OUC Social Examination Service Centre) and the Secretary General of the Non-Degree Education Association of National Open Universities. In 2020, the OUC Education and Training Centre was listed as a Beijing Training Institution for Upgrading Precision and Advanced Industrial Skills and an Education and Training Demonstration Site for Capital Workers of Beijing Municipal Federation of Trade Unions.
The OUC Education and Training Centre, as an integral part of the OUC’s function of serving lifelong learning for all, adheres to the strategic layout of the OUC and acts in compliance with the university’s educational mission. It has explored education models and operation mechanisms for non-degree continuing education in order to develop brand projects with unique features for the OUC’s non-degree continuing education. It attaches equal importance to talent training and social services, and seeks the integration and development of degree continuing education on the basis of the Credit Bank system, so as to promote the “double improvement of professional skills and qualifications” for employees. It stands for the integration of industry and education and cooperation between universities and enterprises. It also takes the initiative to fit into the “1+X” certificate system pilot programme of the national vocational education reform and the educational and teaching reform of the OUC. Based on job standards and competency requirements, it implements “competency-based, career-oriented” vocational education and training, in order to match professionals supply with demand and accurately satisfy needs for professionals at workplace. It maintains a “platform” based development strategy to attract and gather advantages and unique resources through collaboration, innovation, and win-win cooperation. It is committed to integrating online learning with offline training and practice and operating the university based on internet information technology and the OUC system. It remains steadfast on a path emphasising brand, characteristics, and scale development. Guided by the philosophy of “basing itself in Beijing, growing stronger, maintaining project driven development, and giving impetus to the development of the OUC system,” it helps to realise the high-quality and sustainable development of non-degree continuing education through resource integration, mechanism innovation, opening up and cooperation, and ecosystem construction. With a problem-solving mindset, it is committed to promoting non-degree continuing education to reform with the change of economic growth model, follow the upgrade and adjustment of the industrial structure, satisfy the needs for personnel from companies and institutions, and adapt to societal and market demands. It remains devoted to promoting the deep integration of non-degree continuing education with market demands, work requirements, and professional standards, while also striving to create a school-running model and operation mechanism for non-degree continuing education that is adapted to societal and economic development needs and the requirements of industrial structure adjustment and reflects the concept of lifelong education.
The OUC Education and Training Centre, with its core values of “customer centric, teamwork, dedication and honesty, and innovation with passion,” is dedicated to the exploration of an Internet plus education model. Based on the xiangxue8.com media converged learning platform, it aims to build a “course supermarket and learning Taobao” for “studying professional courses, improving job abilities, obtaining professional certificates, earning college credits, and winning national diplomas”, which can be accessed by “anyone, anywhere, anytime.” It is also committed to becoming a respectable non-degree continuing education institution that has unique characteristics, a strong brand, and influences lifelong learning for all.
The OUC Education and Training Centre and the School of Vocational Education and Training of the OUC jointly implement training and educational affairs. It engages in vocational education and training aimed at the “double improvement of professional skills and qualifications” for practitioners to renew knowledge, improve their abilities to a professional level, and seek professional development and personalised learning through close cooperation with industry associations and enterprises. It works closely with government departments, trade organisations, businesses and institutions, mass organisations, and social institutions to offer personalised and diversified social education and training in multiple fields, with multiple methods, and at multiple levels, including cultural accomplishments, healthy lifestyles, marriage and family, parent-child education, and vocational abilities, targeted at social groups with the need for a better life. It is dedicated to promoting the mutual integration and combination of the strengths of both degree and non-degree continuing education by using the latter as an access point to the former. It aims to form a flexible and open lifelong learning “bridge” in favour of lateral communication between non-degree continuing education and degree continuing education, and the vertical alignment of secondary and higher professional education, in order to finally promote education equality and the formation of a learning society where all people can learn anytime and anywhere.