King Lai, director, finance, MSS, HR training & development Leo Paper Group (Hong Kong) Ltd Photo: Raymond Yick

Progressive original equipment manufacturer ups the ante, bridging the gap between academia and commerce

Talent development is a business strategy with sustainability at its very core. After years of meticulous planning, printing conglomerate Leo Paper Group, backed by its mainland factory Heshan Astros Printing Ltd—the largest printing plant in China, is positioned to take this concept one step forward, investing about RMB100 million in the establishment of Jiangmen Astros Vocational and Technical School (江門雅圖仕職業技術學校) in Heshan China.

The heavy investment is a manifestation of the company's commitment to developing people, community and society, according to King Lai, director, finance, MSS, HR, training & development, Leo Paper Group (Hong Kong) Ltd.

"Our existing human resources policies and staff training and development infrastructure are well in place to provide continuous competence enhancement to our staff," Mr Lai notes. "The very idea behind our educational endeavour is to develop a strong and sustainable talent pipeline."

A multinational boasting an unsurpassed annual production capacity supported by more than 20,000 skilled workers across the globe, Leo Paper enlists the expertise of No.1 Vocational Senior Middle School of Jiangmen City (江門第一職業高級中學).

"The amalgamation of our corporate insights and business capability and the college's rich experience in vocational education creates and promotes synergy between the business sector and academia. Building on this foundation, we look to accreditation as a national school in five years, holding steadfastly on to our objectives to foster whole-personal development and to integrate education with productivity," Mr Lai says.

Setting the stage

With a view to offering prospective students a state-of-the-art education infrastructure contained in a nurturing environment that incorporates the latest technology available, Mr Lai took a study team comprising the company's executives and senior officials of the Department of Education of Guangdong Province on an overseas tour to the Stuttgart Media University, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Heidelberg's headquarters and its Print Media Academy in Germany last October. A series of tours to highly regarded vocational education institutions in Guangzhou and Shenzhen was also organised.

He points out that the Heshan campus, which is adjacent to the Heshan Astros printing plant, exudes distinctive and vibrant characteristics. Students can take full advantage of a more than 72,000-square-metre learning and development facility that emanates an intelligent, humanised, environmentally conscious, functional design.

In a bid to create an optimal environment favourable to practical learning, the academy comprises a full-scale student workshop furnished with machinery of the latest innovation and technology in the printing industry. Mr Lai explains: "This pragmatic approach to education gives students a chance to acquire hands-on experience essential in their pursuit of knowledge, closing the distance between education and productivity."

The new facility houses two world-class lecture theatres, eight spacious classrooms, amenity centres, a library, computer laboratories, a stadium of Olympic standards, a dancing studio, as well as a multi-functional 230-seat cultural centre that was built and designed to accommodate large-scale exhibitions and seminars.

Wholesome development

The three-strata curriculum covers three academic years, each addressing clearly defined competence requirements and student progression plans, with the first focusing on liberal arts and soft skills training like interpersonal communication.

During the second year, students learn general professional skills in printing, business and electronic media, and are immersed in a total of 13 specialist areas including printing, computer, logistics, marketing and telecommunications and e-business.

Mr Lai stresses, "This programme design and the pace of learning are expected to expose students to the wider scope of the industry and allow them ample time to confirm their career aspirations."

Final year students stream into a specialist area of their own choice and beef up their competence with a view to becoming a full-fledged professional.

They also have the opportunities to learn the ropes in real business settings via field visits to major corporations such as car manufacturers Honda and Toyota in Guangzhou, as well as Leo Paper's business partners.

The inaugurate programme will admit 700 quality students in the region this May, and an additional 2,300 are expected to sign on by 2012.

Certificates awarded by the Jiangmen Astros Vocational and Technical School are recognised by the mainland authority. Around 20 per cent of graduates who come out tops are guaranteed employments at Heshan Astros Printing.

According to Mr Lai, Leo Paper establishes high expectations for its students and so provides all necessary support for them to achieve academically and subsequently excel in their future position at work and in society.

"Our reputation as a business and an educational entity relies on the quality of our students and future graduates," he emphasises. "Our students will be proud of us and we will in turn be proud of our graduates."

The establishment of the Heshan Astros Vocational and Technical School marks a new milestone in the company's development. Mr Lai adds, "All major international corporations have their own academies. Talent development is nowadays as much an obligation as a strategic proposition."

New paradigm

• Corporate involvement in academia geared to closing gaps between education and business
• Three-year curriculum designed to nurture all-round talent
• Leveraging business advantages to build people, community and society

Taken from Career Times 5 February 2010, B13