On the afternoon of December 6th, Prof. Gerhard W. Jäger, Rector of Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University (DHBW) (Loerrach, Germany), accompanied by Dean Yan Hui from the School of International Education at Zhongqiao University, visited the School of Economics and Management (SEM). The visit fostered a warm and productive exchange between SEM faculty and their esteemed guests.
At the outset of the workshop, Prof. Zhang Bingda, Dean of SEM, extended a heartfelt welcome to Prof. Gerhard W. Jäger. Both parties expressed their shared vision to deepen collaboration in the area of business vocational education. The workshop focused on preliminary plans to establish a business vocational education alliance.
Building the Alliance
During discussions on the feasibility of the alliance, Prof. Zhang Guohua from SEM proposed creating an international platform for business vocational education exchange. This platform would leverage DHBW’s influence within the International Vocational Education Alliance while uniting vocational colleges in Shanghai and Germany. Prof. Gerhard W. Jäger commended the proposal’s forward-thinking approach, and both parties reached a strong consensus to formally begin construction of the alliance in the spring of next year.
Strengthening Teacher and Student Exchange Programs
The workshop also covered discussions on enhancing teacher and student exchange programs. Lu Hong, a teacher representative of SEM and coordinator for the existing exchange programs, reviewed the progress and successes achieved over the past three years. Nearly 100 students have benefitted from short-term and semester-long exchanges, which have seen consistent optimization and improvement. Prof. Gerhard W. Jäger acknowledged these achievements and provided insights for further enhancement of these initiatives.
In addition, both sides explored opportunities for deepening teacher exchange programs, with a focus on ensuring balanced teaching schedules while promoting cross-cultural and professional learning among faculty.
Experience Sharing in Major Group Development
In a session dedicated to sharing experiences in major group development, Ms. Li Hui, a teacher representative from SEM, presented her insights into the construction of the Logistics major group. Dean Yan Hui supplemented the discussion by explaining the characteristics and framework of major groups in China.
Prof. Gerhard W. Jäger highly praised the idea of using the logistics major group as a foundation for the International Business Vocational Education Alliance. He expressed enthusiasm for expanding this initial cooperation into more fields to enable deeper and broader collaborations.
Moving Forward
This workshop served as a bridge, connecting the shared vision and actionable plans of Zhongqiao University and DHBW in advancing business vocational education. Both sides expressed high expectations for the alliance, emphasizing their commitment to cultivating business professionals with international perspectives and professional expertise.
(Contributed by SEM, Edited by Chi Zhang)
