Chinese VET Institute Goes International

The Panama Marine Authority recently appointed the Jiangsu Marine Institute a training base for its training sailors. This marks another achievement for the college after it also became a member of the Danish marine group Maersk in June this year. The institute already has an agreement with the Singapore Maritime College, and has trained more than 3,000 students over the years. The institute breaks its course up into a 1 + 0.5 + 1 + 0.5 model and offers two 6-month internships for one year of classroom study. Its recruitment has primarily focused on countries in South East Asia and Africa. The institute also provides an attractive system for teachers to gain overseas training and take sabbaticals to work in the industry. Many students are attracted by the career aspect of becoming a sea captain within 7-8 years of graduation, with an annual salary level of RMB500,000 (USD75K).