China’s rapidly ageing population brings about plenty of challenges and opportunities. As our report on elderly care shows there is a lot of scope for companies to help in the care sector and make the most of the gradual welfare reforms that will benefit the older generations.

This article also explores how pensions are being reformed to address the shrinking number of working adults that are contributing to the social security system. Whilst there are steps being taken in the right direction there is no denying that in 1993, there were five adults contributing for every one elderly person withdrawing from it, whilst projections suggest that there may be just 1.3 contributors for every elderly person by 2050.

The population is expected to peak at 1.44 billion in 2029 before shrinking to 1.36 billion in 2050, when four in 10 Chinese people will be over 60; whilst automation and the growth of AI will also contribute to a shrinking work force. All of this is forcing China to strategically reconsider its vocational, education and training (VET) system.

Although China’s major cities have some of the best academic education systems in the world, the growing shortage of workers has seen a growth in the promotion of vocational training. The number of university graduates has risen from 6 million in 2008 to over 20 million in 2018 but VET has traditionally been seen as a lower status qualification than a university degree. There are still few organised national programmes available to those looking to train in an industry, and few national standards that are recognised from province to province. There is a marked divide between academic education and vocational training, and the links that allow students to enter into industry after VET graduation are often lacking.

There are still few organised national programmes available to those looking to train in an industry, and few national standards that are recognised from province to province

Aware of these challenges, China is hosting the WorldSkills Shanghai event in 2021 which Vice Premier Hu Chunhau has said should emphasise the sharing of professional skills, particularly amongst China’s young people. The country has also been working to create better links with international partners – including those in the UK – to try to raise standards and bring certification into line.

The University of Salford is a fine example of a UK-China partnership that trains students for the workplace. As this article shows both the curriculum and visits from Salford’s fashion department staff help students in China, who then have advantages when they go on to work in China’s fashion industry. The relationship is, of course, mutually beneficial; it also provides UK students with access, network development opportunities and solid experience in China.

In a similar fashion, through its partnership with Youjiang Medical University, the New College Lanarkshire in Scotland is providing dental nursing certification and education programmes to Chinese students, creating much needed dental nurses in a sector where previously there was very little standardised certification.

In the short to mid-term, the nature of work around the globe is likely to see significant change. Whilst also true in China, local factors such as the dramatically ageing population and the opening up of previously closed areas will see a number of uniquely Chinese opportunities present themselves.

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Back in 2011, the British Council established a campaign to pair up specialist technical colleges in China with British higher education institutions. Initially focusing on fashion design, the aim was to have both staff exchanges and shared student projects. Out of this, a partnership between the Zhejiang Fashion Institute of Technology (ZFIT) and the University of Salford was born.

Several visits from ZFIT staff were made to Salford, including one by Yuan Yong who spent 12 months studying Salford’s approaches to working and research methodologies before returning to ZFIT where he now holds the position of Director of International Exchange and Foreign Cooperation.

Initially, joint academic projects were hampered as ZFIT students mostly came from backgrounds of relatively low academic attainment and low income. However, with staff support and the sharing of documents that explained Salford’s Fashion Design programme, the quality of student work vastly improved over the following years.

Fashion designs by Carline Zhou of the Sino-UK student project

At the same time, the formal academic relationship has evolved, meaning that there is now a joint programme, with three pathways in Fashion Design, Communication and Management, that has been approved by China’s Ministry of Education.

With this growth in the course’s stature, it has gained support from the local fashion and textile manufacturing industry. By 2016, this had led to placements for Salford student and job opportunities for Salford graduates.

The nature of the project was that it encouraged people to collaborate – to give them confidence and to learn to work with each other

Of course, the financial benefits of a guaranteed intake of Chinese students who attend their final year at Salford is clear, but the benefits are far more than the economic. The opportunity for students to experience the fashion industry in China is excellent from a marketing point of view.

“Many of our students have never been outside UK or even the north west of England and now we take them to Ningbo,” explains Professor Allan Walker, Dean of School of Arts and Media at the university. 

Fashion design by Ying Xin Jiang of Salford MA programme

“All final year undergrads go to Ningbo and buy materials out there for their final show. We used to go to Paris but it’s more cost effective for students to go to China. The industry is incredibly welcoming and generous to our students. For many, it’s the most amazing experience they’ve ever had,” says Walker.

The reputational value of Salford’s positive relationship with China and exposure at events such as Beijing fashion week has attracted the attention of students from across China. And importantly, the experiences of the hundreds of students and staff who have worked between the two countries since the project really took off in 2014 have been transformational. Many students from Salford return to China to undertake work placements, internships and full time jobs in China’s fashion industry thanks to the relationships, network and confidence they gained from their time in the country as part of their degree.

“The companies employ our students – some long term. Some have been out there for two, three, four years,” says Walker. “Ningbo is a major centre for fashion manufacturing – there a lot of designing and manufacturing for the big stores in China is undertaken there so students can establish links with some very big companies indeed.”

ZFIT have benefited greatly from the partnership too. The unique selling point of having a relationship with one of the UK’s best fashion departments helps bring in more students, allowing for increased tuition fees and further government support. The use of Salford’s materials has also increased the academic quality of the university, and by implication its reputation and internationalisation.

As part of this mutually beneficial relationship, In December last year, the University of Salford and ZFIT held their first joint one-day project in Ningbo that saw 37 students from Salford and approximately 185 ZFIT students work together on a project called Colour Technik.

Teams from Salford’s Fashion Design BA, and a number of ZFIT courses (including Sino-UK Fashion Design, Sino-UK Fashion Communication, Sino-UK Fashion Management and the ZFIT Make up department) worked with 20 Chinese and three UK staff. Over the course of 24 hours the students, split into four groups, had to design, make and model a fashion collection based around a specific colour and texture.

“The nature of the project was that it encouraged people to collaborate – to give them confidence and to learn to work with each other,” says Walker. “It put the students under significant pressure, giving them a taste of the deadlines and rushes that they would experience in industry itself. The collaborative nature is really emphasised in that it involves all the skills – it covers designers, stylists, make-up artists, models, even choreography and event management.”

Internationalism at its best, the Colour Technik programme was a success and plans are already afoot for a 2019 re-run. But the collaborations don’t end there. In February of this year, the University of Salford went to New York Fashion Week where students and graduates exhibited their works, whilst 25 students hosted a popup with ZFIT students and graduates, showing that collaboration between the two nations can spread even into third nations. With even more projects on the horizon this partnership looks like it is only going from strength to strength.

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