Hangzhou Vocational & Technical College (HVTC), founded and sponsored by the government of Hangzhou, is an academic institution committed to full-time higher vocational education. It is descended from Hangzhou Worker’s College, a union of six career schools respectively centering upon machinery, chemical industry, textile, silk, light industry, and electronics, all affiliated to the city’s then economy and trade administration. The groundwork for the establishment of HVTC was launched in 1998, and the whole project was finalized in 2002. The College was named a model school of Zhejiang Province in 2010. Five years later, it scored “excellent” in the joint assessment of the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Finance and hence became a state model vocational school. It was named the career school of excellence by the provincial authority in 2016 and by the state authority in 2019. In December 2019, HVTC secured a spot in the list of the two Ministries as one of China’s best vocational college with Chinese characteristics (Grade B). It was rated “excellent” again in the country’s mid-term vocational college performance assessment in January 2023.  

Situated in Hangzhou, affectionately known as the “Paradise on Earth”, HVTC occupies a space within the bustling Higher Education Park of Qiantang District, sprawling across an expanse of 1.13 sqm home to over 12,000 students and close to 1,000 faculty and staff members. Among them, there are in particular 50 plus state or province-accredited experts eligible for the State Council allowances, or with accolades such as “the State Innovation Pioneer” “the State Mid-aged and Young Innovator” “the New Century Educator (by the Ministry of Education)” “the State ‘May Day’ Medalist” “the State Technical Master” “the Tech-Innovation Vanguard of Zhejiang Province” “the Model Teacher of Province” “the Mid-aged and Young Professional of Great Accomplishments of Zhejiang Province” “the Model Youth of Province” “the Professional of 151 Program” “the Leading Technician of Province” “the Craftsman of Zhejiang” and “the Tech-Professional of Zhejiang Province” etc. Owning two state cohorts for career education and a division of teachers following Huang Danian’s methodology, the College is also a state-recognized training hub for teachers adept in both theories and practices. Given academic excellence, HVTC has distinguished itself with a hat-trick of national first prizes, underscoring its commitment to pedagogical innovation and accomplishments. Its students also have amassed a collection of exceptional honors, including over 70 national competition awards and an astonishing total of 480 province-level prizes.

HVTC is comprised of nine academic divisions, namely the Institute of Intelligent Manufacturing ,the Institute of Business & Tourism, the Institute of Women’s Clothing, the Institute of Ecology & Health, the Institute of Information Engineering, the Institute of Automotive, the Institute of Animation & Game, the Institute of Rehabilitation & Nursing, and the Institute of Special Equipment. Altogether, they offer 42 degree programs (or majors) that fall into thirteen categories, such as CNC Technology, Cybersecurity, Bio-medicine, E-commerce, Elevator Engineering, Fashion Design, NEV, Animation Design, and the like. The College owns four state-level academic data centers, two state program clusters, one state-funded program, four state-recognized key programs, three state apprenticeship pilot programs, two state model programs (equipment manufacturing, and transportation), twelve accomplished programs of the province, two state-funded training centers, one state center for virtual job training, and six key training centers of the province. The HVTC Training Center (aka. Hangzhou Public Training Center), established with a substantial investment of RMB 300 million from the city government, spans an impressive 2-hectare footprint. It is open to the whole city for job training, skill certification, and research. The HVTC Student Startup Park in Qiantang District is another accomplishment as a state-level incubator for college students.

In corresponding to national strategies, HVTC holds onto the philosophy that encourages school-industry partnership, stresses both academic and practical training, and arms students with knowledge and skills. Based in Qiantang District, the College has extended its reach to the whole city and the Yangtze River Delta. It is steadfast in its commitment to nurturing a commendable campus ethos, taking a lead in fostering robust collaborations between educational establishments and businesses. For years, HVTC has boasted a stellar record of graduates securing their first-choice career paths at a rate exceeding 98%, while the proportion of alumni opting to start careers in Hangzhou places it firmly among the province’s elite schools. The College itself boasts a roll of honors and awards, such as “the National Award for Excellent Personnel Training” “the Huang Yanpei Award” “the National Award for Educational Institutions” “the National Award for Excellent Career Training for Textile Industry” “the National Model Prize for On-the-job Education” “the Civility Award of Zhejiang” “the Top 50 Chinese Vocational Colleges for Graduates’ Career Competency” “the 50 Vocational Colleges Excellent in Services” “the 50 Most Innovative Vocational Colleges” “the Top 50 Chinese Vocational Colleges Excellent in Innovation” “the Top 50 Asia-Pacific Vocational Schools (2019)” and “the WFCP Award of Excellence” etc.

HVTC is also among the first national pilot schools for digital education, national model vocational schools for quality education, member schools of the national committee on intangible cultural heritages education, and pilot schools engaged in the Applied Talents Joint Teaching for China-Africa TVET Cooperation Program. The College also played a leading role in the establishment of the vocational education group for nationwide cross-border e-commerce pilot zones. Over the past few years, HVTC has welcomed over a thousand delegations from various sectors engaged in study visits, fact-finding missions, and collaborative exchanges. Esteemed media outlets, including Xinhua News Agency, People’s Daily, Guangming Daily, China Education Daily, CCTV, the Central Government Portal, People’s Daily Online, and Zhejiang Satellite TV, have consistently spotlighted its trailblazing strides in educational transformation and progress aligned with the zeitgeist.

In pursuit of national revitalization, HVTC is charting its course with a defined vision to evolve into a prestigious school for graduate career education, dedicated to breeding tech-savvy artisans who can fuel the engine of regional socioeconomic development. As Hangzhou aspires to become a global exemplar of modernity, the College is eager to play a part in scripting that narrative, contributing to the blueprint of Zhejiang Province, and unleashing the transformative force of vocational education in driving the “Two Forerunners” initiative forward. (updated as of April 2024)