Systematic University-Industry Collaborative Education Policies: Chinese Experience

In the current era of Industry 4.0, the Chinese government has been striving to address the new wave of industrial revolution and technological transformation by ensuring that the quality of talent cultivation in higher education keeps pace with industrial changes. This is being attempted through a series of national policies aimed at minimizing the disconnection between academia and industry. Among the various reform measures in Chinese higher education over the past decade, the most noteworthy are the University-Industry Collaborative Education Policies, which focus on education and teaching objectives. Unlike the well-known “Double First-Class” initiative, the University-Industry Collaborative Education Policies not only impact top-tier institutions at the apex of the educational hierarchy but also encompass teaching and learning across over a thousand first-, second-, and third-tier institutions, thus exerting a broad and practical influence. This chapter teases out the major policies promulgated by the Chinese government over the past decade and the four major categories of university-industry collaboration to boost the quality of teaching and learning at the higher education level.