A German expert gives a lecture to students enrolled in the cooperative educational program in Yantai Vocational College on Oct 15. [Photo/WeChat account: ytvc_wx]

Yantai Vocational College has signed a contract with the German Handwerkskammer (HWK), or the Chamber of Skilled Crafts, to conduct educational cooperation in July, making it the first and only HWK training and certification center in Shandong province.

Under the agreement, the two sides will conduct cooperation in faculty training, certificate issuing and talent cultivation.

The faculty members consist of German experts and teachers at the Yantai Vocational College who are qualified according to the HWK standards.

Qualified graduates will receive a diploma and a German vocational qualification certificate, which can be helpful for those who wish to secure jobs in German companies.

Two weeks ago, the first 48 students enrolled in the program and earnestly began lessons. They were divided into two classes to learn numerical control machining and industrial robotics.

Gao Guoqiang, a member of the program, said he has always been a fan of German industrial technology. Despite the difficulties in learning German, Gao said he is still full of interest in his major.

The textbooks for the two classes were provided by the German partner and German-style teaching methods are applied, according to Liu Min, a faculty member at the Yantai Vocational College.

The program is a good example of the strategic synergy between "Made in China 2025" and Germany's "Industry 4.0" in the vocational education sector, Wen Jinxiang, president of the college said, adding that it can provide a platform to cultivate top-level innovative technicians in line with global standards.

Yantai Vocational College signed a contract with the German Handwerkskammer (HWK), or the Chamber of Skilled Crafts, to conduct educational cooperation in July. [Photo/yantai.gov.cn]