Working together with the Central Agency for Continuing Vocational Education and Training in the Skilled Crafts (ZWH) since October 2010, Cert-IT GmbH is working in China on a project focusing on the “education of QM representatives for the introduction of a quality management system in vocational education institutions and ISO certification of pilot programmes; continuing education of QM officials into QM managers and QM auditors”. The ZWH, based in Düsseldorf, Germany, has been actively working for three years on this project, which addresses cooperation in vocational continuing education in Shanghai. The ZWH has an office there and is working together with the Tongji University on the topic of vocational training.

A collaborative follow-up project with Cert-IT GmbH began in the fourth quarter of 2010. This project aims to begin putting into practice the results of the collaboration that started with research, studies and discussions of general academic questions. The objective is the certification of professional schools in China in accordance with the ISO 9000 international standard. In the course of the implementation, Cert-IT will function as a certification agency in China, thereby bringing to bear its multiple years of experience as a leading certification body in Germany for the IT industry.

In the first phase, the focus will be on the ZWH’s training of auditors. Cert-IT, which is also currently building their company offices in Shanghai, will then perform the certification.

The project’s shared objective is to strengthen and expand the friendly economic cooperation between German and China, a collaborative relationship that has deep historical roots, particularly in Shanghai. We hope that this will create positive employment effects and excellent added value for Chinese-German economic cooperation. Better-trained apprentices, skilled workers and students in China expand the opportunities for collaboration between Chinese and German businesses. Quality management standards enhance the common ground between Germany and China, helping German businesses in China to find skilled workers while also helping Chinese businesses to position themselves in international competition with the quality of their employees, processes and products.

The project offers an outstanding platform for direction cooperation between the German and Chinese vocational education systems. It also assures an interesting exchange and comparison of education systems that can result in mutual learning opportunities, not just in terms of quality management but also in the areas of theory and practical education methodologies.

Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research, as well as the European Union, are providing funding for the project.