On April 11, 2025, Vice President Zhou Qingyuan was invited to attend the Yangtze River Delta Summit on High-Quality Vocational Education 'Going Global' and International Industry-Education Integration. In his keynote presentation titled From the Yangtze River Delta to Africa: 'Campus-in-Park' Empowering International Industry-Education Integration—Development and Insights from the 'Zhenghe College' at the Eastern Industrial Park in Ethiopia, Zhou systematically presented the achievements and innovative experiences of the university in establishing the 'Zhenghe College' at the Eastern Industrial Park in Ethiopia, Africa. The 'Campus-in-Park' model, designed to serve national-level economic and trade cooperation demonstration zones, offers a replicable practical pathway for the international development of vocational education.
The success of the 'Zhenghe College' lies in the coordinated advancement of three core elements: clustered development, digital empowerment, and standardization leadership. Moving forward, the university plans to extend this model to overseas industrial parks in regions such as Southeast Asia and Central Asia. By leveraging the resources of the Yangtze River Delta Industry-Education Integration Alliance, the university aims to further deepen the international approach encapsulated in the philosophy of education following industrial output and standards leading the way.
At the summit, the university's practices resonated with and garnered recognition from peer institutions across the Yangtze River Delta region. Several experts commented that the 'Campus-in-Park' initiative provides an actionable blueprint for vocational education's 'going global' efforts. In particular, it demonstrates the commitment and innovative capacity of vocational colleges in supporting the overseas expansion of Chinese enterprises and fostering people-to-people connectivity.
