Collaboration

Founded in 1993, Shenzhen Polytechnic University (SZPU) is one of the earliest independent higher vocational and technical education institutions in China. Since its establishment, teachers and students of SZPU have worked hard with a pioneering spirit and constantly innovated education and teaching concepts, school-running systems and mechanisms, and talent training modes, creating many firsts in China's higher vocational education.

• 2 Countries

  15 Partnor Institutions

• 14 Countries

  57 Partnor Institutions

• Hong Kong,Macau & Taiwan

  34 Partner Institutions

  10 Countries

  45 Partnor Institutions

• 3 Countries

  3 Partnor Institutions

• 1 Countries

  1 Partnor Institutions

• 2 Countries

  12 Partnor Institutions

Countries & Regions : 40,Partner Institutions : 181.

(by December, 2021)

SZPU has, since its founding, attached great importance to international development and deepened international educational exchange and cooperation relying on regional and self-advantages. Up to date, SZPU has established friendly cooperative relationships with 181 universities, colleges, and educational institutions in 40 countries and regions and gained remarkable fruits in all-round, multi-level, and diversified international exchanges of the faculty and students, such as student exchange, curriculum cooperation, scientific research cooperation, and short-term training. SZPU has opened six technical vocational education and training (TVET) centers and language and culture centers in the countries like Germany, Bulgaria, and Malaysia. SZPU is one of the UNESCO-UNEVOC International Centres (2006).SZPU became UNEVOC Center in 2006. In 2017, the Research and Training Centre for the UNESCO Asia-Africa TVET Project was established at SZPU. In addition, SZPU became one of the ten UNESCO-UNEVOC I-hubs in 2020.Since 2018, SZPU has held three sessions of the Belt and Road International Conference on TVET, providing a high-end platform for international exchange and cooperation in TVET.

In 2006, Shenzhen Polytechnic University (SZPU) joined the UNESCO-UNEVOC Network, the first worldwide network dedicated to TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) coordinated by UNESCO-UNEVOC. Now it is one of nearly 260 UNEVOC Centres in the world. In response to the national strategy of "Going Global", SZPU has actively engaged in mutual learning in TVET through various forms of cooperation, institutional mechanisms and platforms afforded by UNESCO-UNEVOC, being one of the most active UNEVOC Centres in East and Southeast Asia.

In April 2017, with the consent of UNESCO, the Secretariat of National Commission of the People’s Republic of China for UNESCO approved the establishment of the "Research and Training Centre for the UNESCO Asia-Africa TVET Project" at SZPU. It is intended to foster cross-border research and international collaboration in the field of TVET within the UNESCO frameworks for partnerships, aiming to jointly build up the capacity of TVET practitioners and promote TVET development in the global community, especially in Asia-Africa TVET community.

Approximately 50 teachers from SZPU attended the meeting in person. At the same time, the meeting was held synchronously via ZOOM, connecting about 60 participants from 13 Chinese and 22 foreign universities and colleges in 12 countries and regions, including WFCP President Craig Robertson, former UNESCO-UNEVOC Head Shyamal Majumdar, and Vice President of Baden-Wuerttemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) Stuttgart Andreas Mahr.

The future trends of teachers' professional development in the post-pandemic era from multiple perspectives, including challenges and opportunities, digital technology, management model construction, reform and innovation, etc., were discussed at the meeting. International experts from different countries and regions shared the experience and practices of their regions and institutions at the meeting. Participants believe that the continuing spread of COVID-19 has posed unprecedented challenges to education and forced teachers to rise to the most drastic and rapid changes in history, which requires teachers to possess professional skills different from those for the traditional classroom environment or skills of even higher standards. The meeting totally focused on the actual needs of teachers' professional development and has good practical significance.

The 2021-2025 Development Plan and 2021 Work Plan of the WFCP Affinity Group in Teacher Professional Development was presented at the meeting. Under the framework of the Plan, the Group will carry out a series of activities in teacher training, curriculum development, teacher exchange, academic discussion, etc., and work to play a unique role in promoting global vocational education teachers' exchanges, mutual learning, achievement sharing, and ability development, so as to grow into an important platform for teachers' professional development in the field of international vocational education and facilitate the high-quality development of global vocational education.

SZPU has developed friendly relations with 44 universities and colleges in 14 "Belt and Road" countries for fruitful explorations in communication and cooperation concerning mutual visits of students and teachers, vocational education, and so forth. At present, more than 300 self-funded students from over 30 countries and regions study at SZPU every year, 70% of whom are from "Belt and Road" countries. SZPU has worked with a number of world-class enterprises like Huawei, ZTE, and China Merchants Port Group to participate in the Belt and Road cooperation. Moreover, SZPU  has established four TVET centers in Malaysia, Bulgaria, Germany, and Ukraine and also two language and culture centers in Malaysia and sent teachers for professional training and teaching. SZPU has also been invited to open TVET training classes and share experience in TVET in Asian countries like Cambodia and Mongolia and African countries like Egypt and South Sudan.

SZPU launched Sino-foreign joint education programs in 2006. Up to date, SZPU has established four joint programs, namely the Joint International Business Program with the Northern Sydney Institute (NSI) of TAFE NSE in Australia (2006), the Joint Financial Management Program with Federation University Australia (FedUni) (2011), and the Joint Logistics Management Program and the Joint Software Technology Program with the City University of Seattle (2012). As of September 2021, SZPU enrolled 2,844 students for these programs and provided 2,311 graduates. These graduates have taken better jobs than SZPU's and their schools' average levels. In addition, they have been so competent that they are widely praised by society, employers, and their parents.

SZPU and FedUni have worked on the Joint Financial Management Program since 2011, aiming to train high-level versatile and applied talent who possess a global outlook as well as expertise and practical skills in financial investment, financial marketing planning, and international business management.

This program, subject to strict industry standards, is to help students gain a hands-on background. The program features bilingual teaching and original foreign language textbooks. Experts from FedUni are responsible for teaching management and quality control. Chinese and Australian teachers undertake 1/2 main courses, respectively. After three years of study, graduates will be granted SZPU's diploma and FedUni's advanced diploma. With the advanced diploma, graduates can apply for further study at FedUni and obtain a bachelor's degree or master's degree after 1 or 1.5 years of study. Each year, 40%-60% of graduates of this program choose further study at FedUni.

SZPU partnered with NSI to establish the Sino-Australia Joint International Business Program in 2006.

On campus, students learn both Chinese and Australian courses in English through immersion teaching so as to help them improve their language competence and comprehensive quality. After finishing learning tasks in different stages, students can obtain TAFE certificates, including English Level III Certificate, Level-IV Certificate for Marketing and Communication, and the Diploma in International Business. The program graduates will be granted SZPU's diploma and NSI's advanced diploma. More than 40% of the graduates have applied for further study at NSI.

The Joint Logistics Management Program between SZPU and the City University of Seattle is a college-level education program approved by the Department of Education of Guangdong Province and filed at the MOE of the PRC. The program graduates will be granted SZPU's diploma and the Diploma in Basic Education and Administration issued by the City University of Seattle (with which students can apply for a bachelor's degree program to the City University of Seattle). SZPU started to enroll students for this program in 2012.

SZPU's logistics management major is competitive, which became a major construction project in higher vocational colleges supported by central finance in 2012 and is also a provincial demonstration major in higher vocational colleges and an ongoing major under the national program for the improvement of higher vocational colleges in serving industrial development. Moreover, SZPU has maintained long-term cooperation with logistics enterprises such as China Shipping Logistics Co., Ltd. (CSL), COSCO SHIPPING Logistics Co., Ltd., Chiwan Container Terminal, and ZJS Express. The Joint Logistics Management Program established with the City University of Seattle offers an effective path for talent cultivation through Sino-foreign cooperation, fully achieving complementation in superior resources of both sides, improving SZPU's logistics management talent quality, and meeting Shenzhen's needs for international logistics talent.

The Joint Software Technology Program between SZPU and the City University of Seattle was launched at the SZPU School of Computer Engineering in 2013.

SZPU's software technology major is of great strength, honored as Guangdong Provincial Key Demonstration Major in 2015. In addition, the software technology faculty team was awarded SZPU's First Excellent Faculty Team in March 2011 and SZPU Advanced Team in Teaching Style Construction in 2012 and 2013. Through cooperative talent cultivation, SZPU and the City University of Seattle have fully achieved complementation in superior resources and met Shenzhen's needs for international high-skilled software technology talent. Students who obtain the required credits and are qualified for graduation can be granted SZPU's associate diploma and the Diploma in Basic Education and Administration issued by the City University of Seattle (with which students can apply for a bachelor's degree program to the City University of Seattle). Shenzhen Polytechnic University Sino-American Joint Software Technology Program has been increasingly recognized by society, with 100% of students applying for the program as their first choice. In addition, there is a rich and good source of students.

SZPU has established student exchange mechanisms with partner schools in Russia, South Korea, Spain, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Singapore, Malaysia, and many other countries and regions, for both sides' students to participate in various long- and short-term study and learning activities. In the past five years, a total of 787 SZPU students have studied abroad and 2,000 overseas students have studied at SZPU through cooperative exchange programs.

The short-term study and research program for international students at SZPU is a characteristic brand of SZPU's young student exchange programs. The program offers lectures on Chinese culture and Shenzhen’s economic development, visits to Shenzhen’s enterprises, Shenzhen cultural tours, Chinese cultural experience, and interaction with Chinese students and their families. The program is widely welcomed by international students for its distinctive features and rich content. Groups of students from partner schools in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Malaysia have participated in professional technical skills learning or language and cultural activities at SZPU. The program is well received by international students for its distinctive features and rich content. In the past five years, more than 470 overseas teachers and students have participated in it, which lasted more than two weeks on average.

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In 2000, SZPU was approved by the MOE of the PRC to recruit international students, becoming one of the first vocational colleges in this regard. On December 20, 2012, SZPU was qualified as a national online test center for the Chinese Proficiency Test (Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi, HSK). At first, SZPU mainly received students from partner schools; after decades of development, it focuses on enrolling self-financed overseas students and continuously expands the scale. So far, SZPU has cultivated more than 2,100 international students; especially in the past five years, SZPU has seen a rapid increase in international students and nearly 800 students from more than 40 countries have studied at SZPU.