Centennial’s pioneering learning site in China, known as Suzhou Centennial College, received the Education Excellence Bronze Award from the Canada China Business Council (CCBC) on October 3. It’s an unexpected honour for an institution only in its second year of operation, but it speaks to the energy and creativity found at the first Sino-foreign cooperative college delivering Canadian credentials in China.
The product of Centennial College’s 22-year history of collaboration with Chinese post-secondary institutions, industry and government, the Suzhou learning site was established in association with Suzhou University of Science and Technology in 2016 – marking Centennial’s 50th anniversary – and is approved by China’s Ministry of Education.
Situated in the “canal city” of Suzhou, located 100 km northwest of Shanghai, Suzhou Centennial College (SCC) offers 22 career-oriented programs, all of which provide articulated pathways to programs at Centennial’s Toronto campuses. In addition, there are 28 institutions with active academic credit transfer agreements for SCC programs in Canada, including York University, Athabasca University in Alberta and Royal Roads University in British Columbia.
The groundbreaking partnership is reciprocal, offering a unique opportunity for Canadian students to take a semester of their program in China. It provides Canadian college students the option to internationalize their education and complete an internship abroad. While all Centennial programs are delivered in English, students can take optional Mandarin courses during their semester in China.
Centennial’s strong global linkages have prompted some creative exchanges. Some 60 students sponsored by the government of Panama to learn Mandarin are studying at SCC through the Institute for Training and Development of Human Resources (IFARHU) scholarships. The Korean Global Practical Training Program also selected SCC to promote university students’ employability, and SCC is actively delivering Mandarin education and internship placements in Suzhou Industrial Park for partner universities in South Korea.
The Canada China Business Council Education Excellence awards are presented to member organizations that demonstrate outstanding achievement in delivering China-related success in research partnerships, recruitment, student/faculty exchanges, alumni relations, institution linkages, executive training and provision of Canadian curricula.
Suzhou Centennial College is located in the only international higher-education innovation zone in China, known as Suzhou Dushu Lake Science and Education Innovation District.