City authorities in Taicang have been striving to build a globalized education system of late to cultivate innovative and competitive talents.

International programs enrich learning experience

Taicang Senior High School in Jiangsu province has been working with Glen A. Wilson High School - a prestigious public school based in the affluent neighborhood of Hacienda Heights in California, US. The two schools have been working towards bridging the gap between the two countries' school systems and helping Chinese students to overcome language barriers and cultural differences. The program was initiated in 2012 and by 2014, the first batch of graduates had been admitted to high schools or colleges in the US.

In total, 11 students from Ming De Senior High School went to colleges in Japan in 2015. They were the first graduates from the Japanese language teaching class provided at the high school.

The Taicang government also teamed with education authorities in Hong Kong, Macao, and New Zealand.

Dual education system

Taicang's dual education system, which was introduced in 2001, is best embodied by the Jiangsu Taicang Secondary Vocational School and Suzhou Chien-Shiung Institute of Technology, named after the famous nuclear physicist from Taicang, Wu Chien-shiung.

The two institutes focus on localized education and have learned from the dual system of German vocational education.

Nine school-enterprise partnerships have been established in areas of machine manufacturing, electronic information, bio-pharmacy, culture and creative, and chemical fiber industries to explore the mode of vocational education that best fits the local community.

In the last 10 years, Taicang's education system has produced more than 3,000 qualified skilled technicians for local enterprises that have experienced swift growth.

Cooperation with German companies

Numerous training centers have been built in Taicang through cooperation with Schaeffler, a leading automotive and industrial supplier; LEUCO Tools and KOMET Group, two major machine tools producers; Häring, a leading manufacturer of precision components and subassemblies for automotive industry; among other enterprises from Europe and US.