Posted on Nov. 8, 2025 by Dong Quanyue|Qingdao Vocational and Technical College of Hotel Management
The 2025 China Industry-University-Research Congress of Hospitality Industry and the Towards the Future Industry-Education Integration Forum on Hotel Vocational Education grandly opened in Qingdao on November 6th, guided by the China Hospitality Association and co-hosted by the college and Shanghai Jianggen Enterprise Management Co., Ltd. (Marriott International Group).
With the theme Value Co-creation of Industry-Education Integration Under the Background of Globalization and Digital Intelligence: Connection · Collaboration · Leapfrog · Symbiosis, the congress gathered more than 200 representatives from over 150 colleges, industry organizations, experts, scholars and enterprises across the country to jointly explore new paths and opportunities for the integrated development of hotel vocational education and the industry.
Diao Hongbin, Secretary of the Party Committee of the college, attended the congress, and Leng Xueyan, Dean of the School of Hospitality Management, presided over the opening ceremony.
At the opening ceremony, Diao Hongbin, on behalf of the organizers, delivered a welcome speech. He pointed out that as the first independently established higher vocational and technical college focusing on hotel management in China, the college has always adhered to the school-running philosophy of focusing on the hotel industry to set up majors. Centering on the needs of the hotel industry chain, it has put forward the goal of building a first-class domestic and internationally renowned professional chain covering all formats of the hotel industry, and constructed a professional group construction system focusing on the intelligent and digital transformation and upgrading of the accommodation and catering industry.
Over the years, the college has always taken industry-education integration as its core school-running strategy and blazed a distinctive development path of collaboration between university, industry and enterprise, and integration of industry, university and research. The college has not only built the Hismile Digital Hotel equipped with cutting-edge facilities such as AI guest room control system and virtual simulation hotel management platform, but also introduced real enterprise cases and digital intelligence technologies into classrooms to cultivate students' digital thinking and innovative capabilities.
In addition, under the guidance of the China Hospitality Association, the college took the lead in establishing the National Industry-Education Integration Community of Hotel Industry and the National Industry-Education Integration Community of Modern Accommodation Industry, continuously promoting the upgrading of industry-education integration from single-point cooperation to systematic collaboration.
Song Xiaoxi, Vice President and Secretary General of the China Hospitality Association, pointed out in her speech that as an industry platform, the association will further link excellent universities, colleges and enterprises in the industry to promote the further deepening of integration from three aspects: building an ecological chain of talent co-cultivation, creating a power source of innovation and co-creation, and improving the mechanism of resource sharing.
Yang Xinliang, Chief Human Resources Officer of Marriott International Group Greater China, shared the practice and prospects in the training of the new generation of talents and the collaboration between universities and enterprises from the perspective of enterprises.
In the keynote speech session, participating representatives brought cutting-edge viewpoints and practical enlightenment and delivered keynote speeches on various topics respectively:
Du Yunying, Associate Researcher of the Institute of Vocational and Continuing Education, Chinese Academy of Educational Sciences: The Mission and Breakthrough of Industry Associations Leading Industry-Education Integration in the New Era;
Liu Jiande, President of Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi): The Development of International Vocational Education: Applied Science Leading the Future - Innovative Practices of THEI in Hotel Vocational Education;
Diao Hongbin, Secretary of the Party Committee of the college: Exploration and Practice of an Innovative Talent Training Model for Vocational Education Based on the Industry-Education Integration Concept of 'Enterprises Raise Questions, Universities and Enterprises Jointly Answer, and the Market Evaluates';
Wang Jing, Senior Director of Talent Development and Employer Branding of Marriott International Group Greater China: Early Career Planning and Development for Gen-Z.
In his keynote speech, Diao Hongbin proposed the innovative talent training model for vocational education based on the industry-education integration concept of 'Enterprises Raise Questions, Universities and Enterprises Jointly Answer, and the Market Evaluates'. And he systematically explained the core connotation of this model, which is to transform real enterprise needs into teaching topics, set up a dual team of university and enterprise to jointly solve problems, and finally test the results of talent training through market benefits.
Taking the college's counterpart support project in Xinjiang to help improve the quality and efficiency of the local wine industry as an example, Diao Hongbin vividly demonstrated the practical effects of this model, providing a replicable and promotable solution to solve the problem of disconnection between talent training and industrial needs, which was highly recognized and praised by the participating guests.
At the congress, the China Hospitality Industry Consumer Index Analysis Report was released, which clearly outlined the current situation of the industry through detailed data and laid a solid foundation for the subsequent strategic planning.
The congress held a university-industry-enterprise strategic signing ceremony, marking the official launch of a number of key industry-education integration projects.
The Modern Hospitality Industry Research and Innovation Workshop co-founded by the China Hospitality Association, Marriott International Group and the college,
The Higher Apprenticeship System cooperation project co-built by Marriott International Group and the college,
The Craftsman Star Program industry-education integration project jointly promoted by the China Hospitality Association, Marriott International Group Greater China and Lebo Yingke International Education Group,
The international industry talent training platform built by Marriott International Group Greater China and Veolia China Mainland.
In addition, Marriott International Group Greater China also officially signed cooperation agreements with THEi, Jinan Technician College and other universities and colleges to promote the high-quality development of professional construction, teacher training and talent incubation by building Marriott Industry Colleges.
The congress set up two parallel forums. Forum 1, with the theme of Connection and Symbiosis - Cooperative Development of 'Global Opportunities' and 'Digital Intelligent Future', was led by Marriott International Group and released a number of international industry-education integration projects.
Forum 2, Collaboration and Leapfrog - National Forum of Deans of Hotel Vocational Education, was led by the college. It invited deans from multiple universities and colleges to share experiences in the construction of industry colleges, AI-enabled curriculum innovation, interdisciplinary integration and international talent training, new paradigms of industry-education integration, and talent training in the pan-service industry.
The congress will continue to carry out special exchange and discussion activities at the college on November 7th The Exchange Conference on Practical Teaching of Hotel Vocational Education Under Industry-Education Integration and the Seminar on the Training Path of International Culinary Professionals will be held simultaneously at the School of Hospitality Management and the School of Culinary Arts, further promoting in-depth interaction and resource docking between universities and enterprises.
As an important exchange platform in China's hospitality industry and vocational education field, this congress not only demonstrated the latest achievements of industry-education integration, but also laid a solid foundation for the high-quality development and international cooperation of hotel vocational education in the future.
