江苏留学网

Wang Chengbin, deputy director-general of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, delivers a keynote speech on Dec 18. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Jiangsu hosted a Talent Selection Program (TSP) on Dec 18, targeting overseas students, particularly those from Belt and Road countries, wishing to pursue study in the East China province. 

As a freshly-conceived provincial plan, the TSP highlights the admission and cultivation of three kinds of overseas students, namely those with great interest in scientific research, those determined to work in key industries, and others aiming to develop professional skills. 

In recent years Jiangsu has strived to build a welcoming environment for overseas students and so has increased its learning opportunities to 1,700 places for bachelor’s, master’s and doctorates starting next year. 

Wang Chengbin, deputy director-general of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education, said the launching of the TSP was inspired by Jiangsu’s increasing popularity among overseas students. 

“Closely following Beijing and Shanghai, Jiangsu has welcomed 39,300 overseas students wishing to further their education in the past 11 months, a year-on-year growth of 20 percent, and among them, over 70 percent were from Belt and Road countries,” Wang said.

According to Wang, the new program helps to facilitate Jiangsu education in a diversified way and take the province’s prolonged educational strength to broader international stages and give full play to its image as an ideal studying destination. He added that it will also help to forge closer ties between enterprises, schools and students, and give young people more chances to practice their freshly learned skills.