Opening Ceremony Held for "Anhui-Style Fermented Foods & Health" Micro-Program

HUANGSHAN, China – The School of Life and Environmental Science at Huangshan University held the opening ceremony for its new Anhui-Style Fermented Foods and Health micro-program on the afternoon of October 29 in the auditorium of Wenduan Building on the Shuishui Campus.

The ceremony was attended by Jin Shenglang, University Party Committee Member and Director of the Academic Affairs Office; Yang Yongsheng, Senior Advisor of the Huangshan Huizhou Stinky Mandarin Fish Industry Association; Wang Yongxiang, Director of the Huangshan Fisheries Station; Wan Zhibing, Vice Dean (presiding over administrative work) of the School of Life and Environmental Science; and Wan Shunli, Vice Dean of the School. Also present were representatives from partner enterprises, all faculty members of the Food Science program, and all students of the inaugural micro-program cohort. The event was presided over by Vice Dean Wan Shunli.

At the ceremony, Wu Yongxiang, the program lead, outlined the micro-program's establishment background, training objectives, and curriculum features. Leveraging the School's disciplinary strengths and Huangshan's characteristic fermented food industry resources, the program is designed around the national Healthy China strategy and local industrial development needs. It features a practice-and-innovation-oriented curriculum comprising five courses, including Fermented Food Science and Food Nutrition & Health, with practical training hours accounting for over 60% of the total. Experts from government departments and industry have been appointed as external mentors to foster deep industry-education integration.

In his address, Jin Shenglang emphasized that the launch of this micro-program represents a significant initiative by the University to actively align with local industry needs and deepen industry-education collaboration. He outlined three key expectations: first, to solidify theoretical foundations and strengthen practical skills, integrating Huizhou cultural heritage with modern food technology; second, to enhance university-enterprise cooperation and build a collaborative education mechanism for seamless talent cultivation aligned with industry demands; and third, to dare to innovate and explore, developing the micro-program into a model for the University's application-oriented talent training. He encouraged students to cherish this learning opportunity and strive to become inter-disciplinary talents contributing to the local industrial development. Yang Yongsheng, representing the association, expressed strong support and high expectations for the program. The ceremony also included the presentation of appointment letters to the external mentors.

In the subsequent session on corporate talent needs, Zhang Zhiqun, HR & Administration Director of Huangshan Hualvyuan Biological Technology Co., Ltd., and Tian Wen, General Manager of Huangshan Huashan Miku Distillery Sales Co., Ltd., elaborated on the pressing demand for high-quality technical talent in the fermented food industry from the perspectives of enterprise development and job competency requirements. They pledged their full support for the micro-program and committed to providing students with internship and practical training platforms.

For the First Lecture by an external mentor, Wang Yongxiang delivered a session titled Exploring Development Strategies for the Huizhou Stinky Mandarin Fish Industry. He provided an in-depth analysis of the industry's status quo, technical bottlenecks, development goals, engineering technologies, and talent needs, presenting students with a comprehensive picture of the industry and laying a solid foundation for their subsequent studies.

The establishment of the Anhui-Style Fermented Foods and Health micro-program is a significant practice by the School of Life and Environmental Science to promote interdisciplinary integration and serve local industrial development. The School will use this opportunity to further deepen industry-education collaboration, cultivate more inter-disciplinary and application-oriented technical talents for Huangshan's high-end green food industry, and contribute to regional economic and cultural heritage innovation.