On 28 and 29 June 2021, the Open University of China (OUC) and Hebei Open University (Hebei OU) held the “Training Class for New Employees of Hebei OU System” in Beijing. A total of 73 trainees, who are representatives of faculty members newly employed by the Hebei OU System in the past three years, participated in the event, which was organised into several sessions including listening to expert reports, visiting a red education base and engaging in Party history learning and education, sharing learning achievements, and giving a summary of the event.

On the morning of 28 June, an opening ceremony for the class was held at the OUC. Jing Degang, secretary of the Party Committee and president of the OUC; Duan Runbao, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and president of Hebei OU; Zhang Ruihai, member of the Standing Committee and deputy secretary of the Party Committee of Hebei OU; Hu Yang, director of the OUC Department of External Education and Training; Yao Zhifei, dean of the Training School of Hebei OU; and Zhang Siliang, deputy director of the School’s Organisation and Human Resources Department, together with other relevant responsible personnel, attended the opening ceremony, which was presided over by Duan Runbao.

Jing Degang gave a report entitled “Use the Opportunity of the Centenary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to Vigorously Promote the Reform and Development of Open Universities.” He explained the ideas and measures necessary to promote the high-quality development of open universities in the new era from three perspectives: what kind of open universities we should develop, how to develop open universities, and the top priorities for the development of open universities. He pointed out that it is necessary to thoroughly implement the spirit of the OUC Comprehensive Reform Plan and make the OUC into a major platform for lifelong and online education and a platform for flexible education and external cooperation. He explicitly defined a “three-step” goal for building a world-class open university, pointed out a direction for school running based on the “four transformations,” and advocated the implementation of the “1233” strategy. Jing Degang stressed that new breakthroughs should be made in ten aspects, including high-quality Party construction, education and teaching reform, external training, the OUC University for Older Adults, the construction of the school running system, informatisation and high-quality course construction, teaching and student work, scientific research and internationalisation, Credit Bank construction, and internal governance.

On the afternoon of 28 June, Lin Yu, deputy director of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education of the Ministry of Education, delivered a keynote speech on the Coordinated Development of Continuing Education, Open Education, and Vocational Education. He pointed out that in the context of lifelong learning in the new era, it is important for all people to realise the transformation from “having to” to “being willing and able to engage in lifelong learning.” Open education, as the main body of continuing education, enjoys a better development environment but is challenged by heavier training tasks and greater learning needs. Open universities have entered a new stage of development, with the construction of the “four platforms” progressing in all respects. He stressed that the construction of quality standards and a quality assurance system, as well as the establishment of a widely recognised school running model and mechanism, are important for the development of vocational education, while noting that it is necessary for open education to further explore a path of coordinated development with vocational education. Lin Yu also engaged in exchanges with the trainees and answered their questions, providing positive guidance for the growth of young cadres.

Including both special reports and on-site teaching, the training class put equal stress on party history learning and education and teacher training so as to promote the political consciousness and professional skills of new employees. The trainees visited the Internet Plus Operation Exhibition Centre of the OUC and the Museum of the War of Chinese People's Resistance Against Japanese Aggression. The trainees were deeply impressed by the brilliant history of the CPC, and they were taught to inherit red tradition, develop a revolutionary spirit, and gather strength for progress.

During the closing ceremony of the training class presided over by Zhang Ruihai, three student representatives shared their learning experiences. They all said that the training courses have given them a more comprehensive understanding of open education, saying that they have learned a lot and were deeply inspired and shall devote themselves with a positive attitude to the construction of open universities in order to contribute to the transformation and development of open universities in the new era.

Duan Runbao praised the results of the training class in his concluding speech. First, the success of the training class is the result of coordination at four levels, marking the solid construction of the OUC system. Second, great importance was attached to the training event, which consequently attracted a strong lineup of teachers. Third, unified actions and cooperative efforts were taken to support the event, thus creating a model for training. At the same time, he put forward four expectations for the students. First, he asked them to never forget their original intention, keep in mind their mission, and serve as role models for the new concept of open universities. Second, he expects them to strengthen their study, improve their quality, and become pioneers with an enterprising spirit. Third, he hopes that they will become practitioners of the “Four Platforms” by combining their knowledge with practical application. Fourth, he expects them to unite with and help each other, make concerted efforts, and pursue their own dreams while serving lifelong learning for all.

At the end of the event, Zhang Ruihai, Yao Zhifei, and Zhang Siliang presented certificates of completion to the trainees.

The training course, with the support of a detailed training plan, a powerful teaching team, and well-organised training work, is a project-based innovative measure within the open university system to advance the cooperation of members of the system. Furthermore, it is an initiative to promote resource sharing on the foundation of a unified strategy and a beneficial attempt to explore a joint training model for open universities. Through special reports, venue visits, discussions and sharing, the training class has strengthened mutual exchanges between the OUC headquarters, branches, schools, and study centres, and created a lot of rewards for trainees, who positively praised the event. The training is of great significance to the in-depth implementation of the OUC Comprehensive Reform Plan, the improvement of a new mechanism for the joint construction, sharing, and development of the OUC system, and comprehensively promoting the transformation and development of open universities.

By Wang Yanzhang, OUC