The Donghai Workshop is an international vocational education cooperation brand program developed by Shanghai Donghai College (SDC) for overseas promotion. It aims to share SDC’s quality vocational education resources and cultivate local talents in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) partner countries who are familiar with Chinese technologies and culture and proficient in advanced skills. More than just a skills training center, the Donghai Workshop represents a complete model for international vocational education cooperation, with four core pillars:
1. Work-study alternation model: Adopting a project-based and activity-driven teaching approach, it integrates theory with practice through real projects and hands-on activities, effectively enhancing students’ practical and innovative capabilities.
2. Five-Element Linkage Mechanism: It organically integrates industry, sector, enterprise, profession and academic programs to form a complete closed loop for talent cultivation. Enterprise needs are directly embedded into teaching to ensure talent output is precisely aligned with industrial demands.
3. Philosophy of “empowering people with sustainable skills”: Following a dual-track model of academic education plus skills training, it prioritizes building a “self-sustaining local faculty team” for partner countries alongside student cultivation. Chinese teachers provide systematic training for local educators, and China’s vocational education program standards, curriculum frameworks and assessment specifications are exported and integrated into local education systems.
4. Mirror-style cultivation model: Overseas workshops adopt the same equipment, curriculum content and teaching standards as classrooms in China, enabling overseas students to learn Chinese technologies in an immersive, authentic setting.
In 2026, in line with the deployment of the 15th Five-Year Plan, the College has steadily advanced the development and overseas layout of the Donghai Workshop, with new bases established in Germany, France and New Zealand. Together with existing bases in South Korea and Morocco, the Donghai Workshop now has a presence across Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania, extending SDC’s global footprint of vocational education outreach.
On June 8, 2026, Vice President Yan Yukang and Prof. Markus Strand, Head of the Department of Computer Science and Director of the Robotics and Human Motion Lab (RaHM-Lab) at Duale Hochschule Baden-Württemberg (DHBW), jointly inaugurated the Donghai Workshop. DHBW is a German university of applied sciences and the birthplace of Germany’s dual system of higher education. With over 50 years of experience in university-enterprise joint education, it is the largest higher education institution in Baden-Württemberg, with around 34,000 enrolled students, over 230,000 alumni worldwide, and more than 9,600 partner enterprises including leading German companies such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Bosch and SAP.
On June 8, 2026, Vice President Yan Yukang and Prof. Philip Nenninger, Director of the Institute for Energy Efficient Mobility (IEEM) and Head of the Automation Technology Laboratory at Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences, jointly inaugurated the Donghai Workshop. Founded in 1878, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences is a public university of applied sciences in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg. It has around 8,000 students and some 200 full-time professors across six faculties, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programs in mechanical engineering, economic engineering, computer science and more. Its mechanical engineering and computer science programs rank among the top in German universities of applied sciences, with a graduate employment rate in the first tier of German higher education institutions. Established in 2012, its IEEM is a core industry-education integration platform in southwest Germany focusing on new energy vehicles and intelligent connected vehicles.
On June 9, 2026, Vice President Yan Yukang and Mr. Marco Litz, Director of the International Department at the Karlsruhe branch of Bildungswerk Wirtschaft Baden-Württemberg (BIWE), jointly inaugurated the Donghai Workshop. BIWE is an official institution in Baden-Württemberg dedicated to university-enterprise collaboration and vocational education services. Headquartered in Stuttgart, its Karlsruhe branch serves as a core service hub for the region, the surrounding Rhine industrial belt and dual-system education at DHBW Karlsruhe.
On June 10, 2026, President He Ying and Mr. Rex Morgan, Board Director of UUNZ Institute of Business in New Zealand, jointly inaugurated the Donghai Workshop, witnessed by CEO Jinming Chen, President Cathy Zhang and Māori tribal leaders. Established in 2002, UUNZ Institute of Business is a private higher education provider in New Zealand and an independent legal overseas campus of the University of Southern Queensland (USQ). It holds dual accreditation from the New Zealand Qualifications Authority (NZQA) and the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) of Australia, granting it unique competitive advantages among private institutions in New Zealand.
On June 11, 2026, Vice President Yan Yukang and Ms. Hawa NIAKATE, Director of the International Department at TUNON International Institute in France, jointly inaugurated the Donghai Workshop. TUNON operates campuses in nine cities across France and an overseas campus in Geneva, Switzerland. Its qualifications are registered in the French National Directory of Professional Certifications (RNCP), covering levels from Bac+2 (higher vocational) to Bac+5 (master’s level). Specializing in luxury goods, aviation, hotel management, and MICE and cultural tourism, it is a benchmark institution for high-end service talent cultivation in France.
