The Opinions on Deepening the Reform of the Industrial Workforce Development (hereinafter referred to as the “Opinions”) issued by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the State Council, were officially released on 21 October 2024.
Article 11 of the Opinions emphasises the need to promote knowledge renewal and academic advancement for industrial workers, encouraging more higher education institutions and open universities to implement continuing education programmes for this group. The release of the Opinions provides a fundamental guidance for advancing thoroughly and earnestly the reform of the industrial workforce and offers clear directives regarding the new missions and responsibilities of open universities in the construction of a learning society.
Proactively serving the national strategy to support the academic advancement of a new generation of industrial workers
Over the past 45 years, the Open University of China (OUC), its branches, industrial colleges and other such specialised schools have made unique and historical contributions in meeting national strategic needs, enhancing the quality of the nation, promoting educational equity, and helping to build an education system that serves lifelong learning for all. They have educated and graduated a total of 20.31 million individuals for the society.
In 2016, the Ministry of Education (MOE) and the All-China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU) jointly launched the “Action Plan for Realising Dreams of Further Education” for migrant workers. By leveraging its educational system, the OUC has collaborated extensively with industries, enterprises, and trade union systems to initiate the pilot programme for the “Assistance Plan for the Cultivation and Development of New Industrial Workers”. By making full use of modern information technology, the programme has facilitated industrial workers in pursuing both degree and non-degree continuing education. The OUC has played a pivotal role in the “Action Plan for Realising Dreams of Further Education”, effectively advancing the academic and skill development of industrial workers in the new era.
First, it is to serve the transformation and upgrading of enterprises and promote the growth and development of new-generation industrial workers. A new model and mechanism for collaboration between the OUC and industries and enterprises has been explored, which has facilitated the integration of degree education with employee training systems in enterprises. This initiative has supported the development of learning-oriented industries and enterprises.
Second, the talent cultivation model and quality assurance mechanism for new-generation industrial workers with the characteristics of open universities have been explored. The “Action Plan for Realising Dreams of Further Education” has driven the OUC’s teaching reforms and system development, fostering a closer integration of academic qualifications and skills. Leveraging the construction of the "Credit Bank", open universities in various regions have effectively conducted pilots in learning outcome accumulation, recognition, and transfer, and establishing initially an effective pathway to build a lifelong learning “flyover" for on-the-job employees.
Third, it has effectively promoted the formation of a lifelong learning atmosphere among industrial workers. With the in-depth participation of enterprises, trade unions, and industrial workers in the first round of the “Action Plan for Realising Dreams of Further Education” for migrant workers, a new atmosphere of lifelong learning has gradually taken shape. Industrial workers have begun to embrace the concept of lifelong learning, enhancing their awareness of self-directed, independent learning awareness and capabilities. Meanwhile, enterprises have increasingly supported industrial workers in pursuing further education.
Keeping pace with the times to usher in a new chapter in cultivating master craftsmen for a great nation
In this new historical stage, the OUC aims to serve the broader goals of Chinese path to modernisation. By adhering to a demand-driven approach, the university has proactively aligned with the needs of national industrial restructuring and transformation, while gaining an accurate understanding of the new tasks and requirements of the times.
First, deepen the school-enterprise cooperation and advance a skills-focused and application-oriented training model. The OUC will align with national development strategies to promote joint talent cultivation with enterprises by building upon the existing disciplinary majors. This will involve developing training programmes through consultation, creating high-level courses and learning resources, and offering degree education programmes for model workers, craftsmen, high-skilled talents, as well as advanced training programmes, to effectively enhance the capacity for cultivating applied and technical talents. The university will strengthen the alignment between specialised major setups and industrial needs, and will reform curriculum teaching content according to industrial demands and professional standards. It will promote the integration of course content with vocational standards, and explore a training model with "classrooms set up in enterprises, examination venues established in industrial parks, and theses written on the job."
Second, earnestly promote the delivery of education into enterprises and factories. Fully leveraging the advantages of the OUC’s "two-level coordination and four-level operation" system (The two-level coordination refers to the coordination between the OUC headquarters and its provincial branches under the leadership of the MOE, and the four-level operation refers to operation at the national, provincial, prefectural and county levels), the OUC will establish off-campus teaching points and training centres for continuing education of industrial workers through consultation in industrial parks and large and medium-sized enterprises where industrial workers are concentrated. The aim is to create a learning environment in enterprises, which integrates work and study, as well as accreditation of learning achievements. This will seek to address the work-study conflict and optimise the learning environment for workers, striving to build "schools nearby” for industrial workers.
Third, digital empowerment is used to enhance worker’s learning effectiveness. The OUC will share high-quality teaching resources by consultation in collaboration with general universities, vocational colleges, craftsman academies, and industries and enterprises. Covering areas such as professional ethics, basic skills, specialised skills, management skills, digital literacy, and interest development, they will offer industrial workers a diverse and digitally intelligent learning experience. It’s necessary to continuously improve the lifelong education platform, create an intelligent skills learning platform for industrial workers, and explore new forms of digital learning such as "Internet+" and "Intelligent+" to provide personalised, intelligent, and convenient online learning services for industrial workers.
Fourth, establish and improve the integrated cultivation of academic qualifications and abilities. Article 13 of the Opinions proposes the integration of horizontal development mechanisms for industrial workers. The OUC will focus on industrial transformation and upgrading, as well as the learning needs of industrial workers, to promote the development of a system for transferring learning outcomes of industrial workers into qualifications. This will offer services for industrial workers to realise mutual recognition and transfer of academic credentials and skills, effectively improving the quality, adaptability, and coverage of industrial worker training, and providing decision-making reference for the establishment of a national qualification framework.
Industrial workers, as the main force of the working class, are a vital force in implementing the strategy to boost China's strength in manufacturing. It’s the honour and mission of the OUC to provide ubiquitous, accessible, and targeted educational services to industrial workers. The OUC will act on the requirements of the Opinions, strengthen collaboration and coordination, innovate talent cultivation models, improve the industrial worker training system, and move faster to create a positive social environment in which everyone is able to excel themselves, and do full justice to their talents. This will provide strong support for building China’s strength in education, developing a quality workforce, and boosting manufacturing strength for the country.
Source: China Education Daily