The Opening Ceremony of the 4th China International Senior Services Expo & the 4th Forum of the Development of Chinese Senior Service Industry has just wrapped up. At the Expo, the exhibition on education for older adults attracted a lot of attention from seniors and the media, becoming a hot spot of the Expo. The senior service column at Xinhuanet held an exclusive interview with President of the Open University of China (OUC) Yang Zhijian to get to know the  current status of the education industry for older adults.

Zhao Ping is a riveter on the middle-outer frame team for airplane wing general assembly at the Components Factory of Hanzhong Airplane Branch of Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC). He has been honoured as a National Model Worker, National Senior Technician, Senior Expert of AVIC, and Third-grade Technical Specialist of Hanzhong Airplane Branch Components Factory of AVIC. He graduated with a major in Mechanical Design, Manufacture and Automation Specialty from Hanzhong Radio and Television University (RTVU) in 2014. 

The OUC School of Vocational Education and Training has been named “An Excellent Case for Innovation” by units under Ministry of Education for its project “The Establishment of a New Model for Vocational Education and Training, Integrating Production and Teaching According to the Needs of Enterprises”. The main content of the project is the “dual-certificate education”(vocational qualification and academic diploma) of staff from Foxconn Technology Group.

To further deepen the cooperation in running schools with industry and enterprises, and enlarge the social impact of RTVU education, the Open University of Fujian and the Fujian branch of Xinhuanet Co., Ltd. formally signed a strategic cooperation framework agreement on May 21, 2015, agreeing to promote media convergence and the development of lifelong education.

May 16, 2015 witnessed the successful completion of HSK and HSKK tests at the OUC HSK Test Centre sponsored by the Chinese Language Centre, the Open University of China. In addition, a total of eight levels were opened in May, including the levels of HSK 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and HSKK elementary, intermediate, and advanced, located in ten separate examination rooms. 161 test-takers from the OUC and other universities in Beijing took the examination, among which 78 persons sat for the HSKK test. 

The International Red Cross recently posted its list of recipients of the 2015 Nightingale Medal on their website. 36 nurses from 18 countries worldwide were awarded with the distinguished honor, with 5 nurses from China included in the list, making it the country with the highest number of winners. Ms. Du Liqun, a remarkable Guangxi RTVU alumna was honored to be placed on the list. 

The upcoming National Day for Helping the Disabled marks the 10th anniversary of the OUC School for the Disabled. Over the past 10 years, the OUC has embraced a number of ambitious disabled youths, helping them fulfill their dream of going to university; it has cultivated a great number of exceptional disabled university students, equipping them with knowledge and skills; and it has said farewell to scores of promising disabled graduates, enabling them to serve society and work hard to achieve their dreams.

In the graduation thesis defense for open education undergraduate students in the spring of 2015 hosted by Qingyuan Radio and TV University (RTVU),Zhejiang province, held from May 10-12, 2015“Father and Son Soldiers” and “Husband and Wife Sing Together”were put on show. The students participating in the graduation dissertation said that “open education makes learning more convenient.”