The OUC School of Mechanical Industry provides degree and non-degree continuing education to practitioners in these industries in cooperation with the Mechanical Industries Education-development Centre. It is an important part of the OUC, and was founded on 26 Nov. 2013.
The mechanical industries are basic and strategic industries that provide equipment to various sectors of China's national economy and defense. They are the largest in the world, but still not strong enough, and require enhanced training. The mission of the OUC to provide continuing education to all of society with the support of modern information technology is perfectly compatible with the training needs of these industries, and the School is expected to meet the requirements of both sides via integration of industry and national educational resources.
The mechanical industries and the OUC have a long history of cooperation. Since 2005, a junior-college pilot programme, Numerical Control Technology, as well as cooperation in Mechatronics and Mould Design and Manufacturing, have been running. The School of Mechanical Industries will first set up non-academic programmes for teachers of Numerical Control Technology and Mould Design and Manufacturing on the basis of the existing junior-college programmes, and try to gradually expand to non-academic continuing education for in-service employees in the fields of high-end, emerging-industry, and civil-machinery equipment.
The School is committed to enhanced and innovative training to serve the construction of learning industries and enterprises and the transformation of the mechanical industries. It will make full use of the learning resources of the OUC and the education and training resources of the machinery industry, exploring the integration of academic and non-academic education for in-service workers, making arrangements based on their lifelong-learning needs and the requirements of the OUC, building a credit-bank system with functions such as credit certification, conversion and deposit, establishing a personal lifelong-learning file for each learner, providing learning-record services, grafting industry training onto academic education through credit-bank certification and conversion, and broadening the channels for in-service workers in the mechanical industries to obtain academic education.
The School is run independently and carries out teaching activities under the dual leadership of the OUC and the Mechanical Industries Education Development Centre. It has set up a management committee consisting of leaders from both sides along with department personnel in a top-level design to study and solve major problems with the construction of the School, implement planning, and establish regulations to ensure efficient operations.
Based on the OUC requirement of seeking top quality in all aspects, while taking into account the situation of its majors, the school invites experts in the industry and enterprises to edit teaching materials and act as lecturers and tutors, and, along with numerous university teachers, offer other learner-support activities. It aims to train full-time teachers and project facilitators who are proficient in project management, teaching design, resource development, teaching organization, and distance-learning support services. It will also promote the construction of digital-learning resources through renovation, new creation and integration in order to quickly build a number of high-quality online courses and digital learning resources.