On October 10, the opening ceremony for the 2026 Morimatsu-Zhongqiao International Class was held at Shanghai Zhongqiao Polytechnic University. Distinguished attendees from Morimatsu Group included Lu Weifeng, Vice General Manager and Director of Human Resources; Li Hongbin, Vice General Manager of Morimatsu Group and General Manager of Morimatsu Malaysia; Liu Changfeng, Standing Deputy Director of Human Resources; Li Ying, Assistant Director of Human Resources and Head of the Training Center; and Li Yunfei, HR Operations Manager of Shanghai Fuchen Education Group. Key university representatives present included Zhao Bin, Vice President of Shanghai Zhongqiao Polytechnic University; Yan Hui, Assistant to the President and Dean of the School of International Education; Wang Zhaowei, Dean of the School of Intelligent Manufacturing; and Wang Ling, Director of the International Exchange and Cooperation Office. All 12 new Malaysian students from the Class of 2026, alongside senior student representatives, attended the event to mark the official commencement of this new academic journey.
On behalf of the university, Vice President Zhao Bin welcomed all guests and expressed sincere gratitude to Morimatsu Group for its long-standing support. He noted that the Morimatsu-Zhongqiao International Class reflects a shared vision aligning vocational education with corporate mission, serving as a key model of industry-education integration. Over the past two-plus years, both parties have driven a dual-entity, full-process synergy model—combining foundational academic coursework with hands-on enterprise internships to seamlessly align learning with job requirements, while Chinese language and culture courses foster broader global understanding. Encouraging students to be grounded, open-minded, and pragmatic, Vice President Zhao reaffirmed the university’s commitment to providing comprehensive support for their academic and personal growth.
Lu Weifeng, Vice General Manager and HR Director of Morimatsu Group, emphasized the enterprise’s strong commitment to Chinese vocational education, highlighting the program as a core component of Morimatsu's global talent pipeline. To support the projected expansion of Morimatsu Malaysia over the next 3 to 5 years, the international class provides a tailored, localized talent strategy. He reiterated Morimatsu’s commitment to deepening cooperation with Shanghai Zhongqiao Polytechnic University to build a sustainable talent pool for the group's global operations, while encouraging students to demonstrate pioneering spirit, excel in their studies, and serve as cultural ambassadors between China and Malaysia.
During the ceremony, the new Malaysian students were paired with mentors from Morimatsu. Each student will receive comprehensive guidance encompassing both technical skills and cross-cultural communication to ensure successful development and transition. Li Hongbin, Vice General Manager of Morimatsu Group and General Manager of Morimatsu Malaysia, presented welcome gifts to the freshmen, conveying the enterprise's care and encouragement. The new students then introduced themselves one by one, sharing their aspirations and determination as they embark on this new chapter of their lives.
About the Program
The Morimatsu-Zhongqiao International Class is a joint school-enterprise initiative between Morimatsu Group and Shanghai Zhongqiao Polytechnic University designed to recruit Malaysian students majoring in Mechatronics Engineering. Both parties jointly formulate the talent cultivation plan and integrate industry technical standards and production practices into the curriculum, enabling a smooth transition from classroom learning to workplace roles.
The program adopts a **2+1 model** (two years of campus-based study + one year of corporate internship):
Years 1–2 : Students complete professional coursework and vocational Chinese language studies on campus at Shanghai Zhongqiao Polytechnic University.
Year 3 : Students undertake a practical internship at Morimatsu (China) Manufacturing Base in Nantong.
Post-Graduation : Graduates return to work at Morimatsu Group's manufacturing base in Malaysia, effectively realizing the goal of employment upon enrollment.
From the pioneering efforts of the first cohort to the arrival of the third, the international class cultivation model has matured continuously, reinforcing a firm foundation for school-enterprise cooperation.
Expanding high-level opening-up in education requires both welcoming international talent (bringing in) and promoting educational standards overseas (going global). The Morimatsu-Zhongqiao International Class stands at the intersection of these two strategies: opening doors to Malaysian students directly supports the building of the Study in China brand and capacity; simultaneously, aligning Chinese vocational education standards and industrial capabilities with overseas human resource demands creates a compelling, real-world benchmark for delivering Chinese educational models and solutions abroad.
The launch of the third cohort marks the growing maturity of a structured pathway encompassing study in China, domestic internships, and overseas employment. Vocational education going global exports not only a generation of young talents who are skilled, proficient in Chinese, and friendly toward China, but also a demand-driven, customized talent development model and standard tailored to international industry requirements. Moving forward, Shanghai Zhongqiao Polytechnic University will use the Morimatsu-Zhongqiao International Class as a benchmark to continuously refine its customized talent training system for overseas demands, exploring a replicable and scalable Zhongqiao model for vocational education internationalization.
