It is nowadays common that the graduates find it difficult to get jobs and enterprises to find qualified personnel. In response to this, Hainan University is exploring ways of cooperating with enterprises by relocating its teaching resources to the industrial parks so as to satisfy enterprises’ demand for talents.
Since last year, Hainan University has taken a number of measures for this end. The University has moved its School of Pharmaceutical Sciences to the Medicine Valley Industrial Park in Haikou. It has got approval to establish three provincial-level modern industrial colleges. It has set up Sanya Nanfan Research Institute in Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City.
From “classrooms” to “fields”
Hainan University has built 11 Science and Technology Backyards (STB) in rural areas. The University sent its postgraduate students to these STBs where they applied what they learned in classroom into practice, with the aim of improving the quality of students of agriculture-related majors.
Lin Shengwei, a postgraduate student from School of Tropical Crops, was sent to STB in Dongfang city. Before Lin went there, he and his fellow classmates have made new breakthroughs in reducing the amounts of pesticides and chemical fertilizers applied.
“The STB system gives us more opportunities to practice.” said Wei Chunlan, a postgraduate student at School of Tropical Crops. She believes that the STB system is helpful for her scientific research on one hand, and helpful for farmers and enterprises to solve their problems on the other.
Zhang Yinhe, a PhD candidate majoring in Crop Genetics and Breeding, left for Sanya in March this year to carry out experimental research at Sanya Nanfan Research Institute in Sanya Yazhou Bay Science and Technology City.
Zhang is mainly engaged in macromolecular breeding research to find saline-alkali-tolerant varieties by subjecting soybean materials to salinity-alkalinity stress, thereby realizing the efficient and sustainable development of the soybean industry in saline and alkaline soil regions.
In Haidian campus, Zhang encountered some difficulties in his research, like lack of land and equipment and less academic exchanges. However, all these problems are easily solved in Sanya Nanfan Research Institute.
“Here in Sanya Nanfan Research Institute, we have better scientific research environment. We can get access to equipment and instruments of different sizes. Also, we have more opportunities to participate in academic exchange activities, meeting many outstanding experts and scholars. In addition, students from different universities can learn from each other by sharing their own experiences.” Zhang said.
The School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering is now exploring ways to integrate what students learned in classroom and the practice in production line. The undergraduate students are organized to have their classes on production site. There are currently 14 postgraduate students and more than 110 undergraduate students from this School working as resident intern at Haikou-based Haima Motor Corporation.
“We have classes with the new employees. The course is rich in content, covering automobile structure, vehicle making techniques, software application and field visits.” said Long Songtao, a student admitted in 2020, majoring in Mechanical Design, Manufacturing and Automation. He thinks that on-site teaching at enterprises is more flexible than on-campus teaching in the University. He benefited a lot from this innovative teaching practice.
In addition to on-site teaching, the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering also sends its postgraduate students to participate in scientific research in enterprises. Wang Chao, a postgraduate student majoring in Agricultural Engineering and Information Technology, participated in a university-enterprise cooperation project in March 2023, focusing his research on the use of simulation software to simulate the heat dissipation of automobiles under various operating conditions to ensure that the automobiles could be driven safely.
“In the process of research and development, we are sometimes not very sure about some details.” said Wang Chao. He mentioned that he has improved a lot his capacity in scientific research under the guidance of the engineers in the enterprise. He also often went to the factory, observing production processes and procedures to improve his understanding of cutting-edge technologies in automobile manufacturing.
On-site teaching enables our students to work on the production line earlier and identify enterprises’ demand for employees. It is one kind of customized education, reducing enterprises’ cost for training.” said Tang Rongnian, Dean of School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering.
From “loose connection” to “real embedding”
Many enterprises are faced with structural shortage of trained people. The rooted reason is that some colleges and universities “use yesterday’s knowledge to teach today’s students to solve tomorrow’s problems”, and the students fail to catch up with the real production practice and the latest technologies. And some graduates on the job have to spend a great deal of time to receive extra training.
In order to satisfy enterprises’ needs for development, Hainan University moved its School of Pharmaceutical Sciences to Meian Ecological Science and Technology New Town in Haikou National High-tech Zone at the end of 2022.
This practice has won the recognition of enterprises there. “It not only enables teachers and students to objectively recognize the current situation of the development of the pharmaceutical industry, but also strengthens the exchanges and cooperation between universities and enterprises.” said Liu Wenmin, Chairman of Qilu Pharmaceutical (Hainan) Co., Ltd.
Yu Qingzhu, General Manager of Hainan Simcere Co., Ltd., believed that the establishment of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences in the Medicine Valley Industrial Park could provide strong intellectual support for the development of the pharmaceutical industry. “We will seek cooperation with the School and try to recruit more students to boost the development of the company and realize mutual benefit and win-win results.”
“After the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences was moved into the Medicine Valley Industrial Park, it has signed agreements with Qilu Pharmaceutical (Hainan) Co., Ltd., Hainan Hualon Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and Hainan Simcere Co., Ltd. on building bases for practical teaching and internship, and has established provincial-level biomedical engineering industrial colleges with four key enterprises.” said Luo Haibin, Dean of School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. He added that with the help of new drug screening and evaluation platform of Hainan University, the School was cooperating with enterprises in various areas so as to build an industry-university-research consortium integrating production, education, research, achievement transformation, innovation and application.
This model is also adopted by The Sanya Nanfan Research Institute. Li Hai, Dean of the Institute, said that the Institute has pioneered the mode of “research institute + enterprise + base”, and jointly established a technology innovation research institute for cantaloupe industry with enterprises, aiming to build a cantaloupe industry chain and value chain cluster covering seed breeding and production, industrialized seedling production, standardized planting, smart management, brand marketing and agro-tourism integration. At present, the Institute has been approved to establish nine STBs, and this year it will apply for the establishment of TSBs focusing on cowpeas, melons, beans and other crops.
“We provide trained personnel the industry needs.” Tang Rongnian said. In the past three years, the School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering has signed cooperation agreements with 12 enterprises. The School, together with high-tech enterprises and public institutions in Hainan Province, has jointly applied for more than 50 key provincial projects and has been granted more than 10 million yuan of funding for production, teaching and research. Moreover, the School has employed 60 technicians and executives of enterprises as off-campus supervisors for more than 30 postgraduates.
From “single spark” to “mighty flame”
What is the original intention of moving Schools to the industrial parks? Hu Jingwei, Director of Office of Academic Planning and Development, said that the practice was beneficial to both Hainan University and enterprises. Hainan University could provide services for enterprises and enterprises could provide real setting for the students to put what they learned in classroom into practice, thus connecting industry, teaching and innovation.
In April 2023, the Biomedical Engineering Industrial College, Information Technology Application Innovation Modern Industrial College and New Energy Vehicle Modern Industrial College were approved to upgrade them into provincial-level modern industrial colleges. Among them, the Biomedical Engineering Industrial College, with two national first-class undergraduate majors ( Pharmaceutical Sciences and Biomedical Engineering) as basis, was the only one in Hainan Province to apply for the establishment of a national-level modern industrial college. It symbolize that Hainan University has been on the fast track in structural integration of supply side of talent cultivation and the demand side of industrial development.
Now, the model of “University-enterprise partnership” has produced considerable results and become a strong support for local economic development. Aided by the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Haikou Medicine Valley Expert Advisory Committee was established, providing intellectual support for the development of Medicine Valley Industrial Park.
“To turn students to be competent personnel need the participation of enterprises. The courses need to be designed according to the development of enterprises and the specific requirements of individual post.” Tang Rongnian said, “After the establishment of New Energy Vehicle Modern Industrial College, it will work with enterprises to make a practical programe, strengthening university-enterprise cooperation and achieving mutual benefit and win-win result.”
It is learned that Hainan University will cooperate with cities and counties in the province in establishing platforms for scientific research. Hainan University will do what it can to contribute to the development of Hainan Free Trade Port.
