On 26 Nov. 2013, the School of Metal Castings of the Open University of China (OUC) was officially launched.
It is an industry college jointly founded by the OUC and the China Foundry Association (CFA). In spring 2016, the School started a pilot degree-education "Assistance Plan". It has established 10 study centres in foundries and colleges nationwide, with more than 800 students currently enrolled. It has also set up two junior-college majors: Material Forming and Control Techniques.
The School uses modern distance education to integrate degree education, non-degree education, and vocational teaching and training, so that foundry workers can study while continuing to work. The School has a professional steering committee consisting of 25 well-known foundry experts from at home and abroad, 12 part-time professors and researchers, and 57 associate professors, of whom 21 with the title of associate professor or above are engaged in the School's teaching and course development.
In addition to degree education, the School also provides non-degree education, aiming to provide job training for the in-service personnel or people who want to be engaged in the foundry industry. All the learning outcomes of the students registered in the School can be accumulated in the OUC credit bank, and according to the relevant rules, they can obtain the corresponding vocational qualifications in the National Centre for Learning Outcomes (Foundry) and the Foundry Industry Sub-centre for Machinery Vocational Skills Certification. The school offers the following courses: Foundry Alloy Series, Foundry Raw and Auxiliary Materials Series, Foundry Equipment Series, Inspection Technology Series, Process Design Series, Quality Management Series, etc.
With the aim of "meeting the needs of enterprises and serving the foundry industry", the School continues to effectively cultivate practical foundry talents, help foundry enterprises to transform and upgrade, and create a leading brand of consulting and training services in the foundry industry.