The School of Continuing Education serves as a vital bridge for Shanghai Institute of Technology (SIT) to engage with society and help build a learning society, as well as a key platform for implementing the vision of lifelong learning for all. Its predecessor was the Continuing Education Department of Shanghai Institute of Technology, established in September 2000 through the merger of the adult education administration departments from three predecessor institutions: Shanghai Light Industry College, Shanghai Metallurgy College, and Shanghai Chemical Industry College. In September 2006, the Continuing Education Department was formally restructured into the School of Continuing Education. In 2016, the university established the International Education Center, which is affiliated with the School of Continuing Education, with the Dean of the School concurrently serving as the Director of the Center.
Continuing education, alongside undergraduate and postgraduate education, forms the talent cultivation system of SIT. The School's offerings encompass adult degree programs (junior college and undergraduate levels), self-taught higher education examinations, international education, programs for senior citizens, community education, training for government agencies, enterprises, and institutions, as well as vocational skills training. Additionally, the School actively undertakes the administration of various social examinations.
The School closely aligns with the university's goal of building a high-level application-oriented and innovative institution. It adheres to the fundamental task of fostering virtue and cultivating talents, strengthens connotation building, and has achieved outstanding results in integrating ideological and political education into curricula. In 2021, its Advanced Mathematics course was recognized by the Ministry of Education as a "Demonstration Course for Ideological and Political Education in Curricula." The School has implemented "dual-system" teaching reforms and promoted the integration of industry and education, offering targeted classes for key chemical industrial parks such as the Hangzhou Bay Chemical Industrial Park and the Shanghai Chemical Industrial Park. The development of digital learning resources and the blended teaching model for higher continuing education have advanced rapidly. By 2025, the student enrollment exceeded 10,000.
Proactively aligning with national strategies and addressing the needs of economic and social development and the enhancement of national quality, the School leverages the university's disciplinary and talent advantages to vigorously develop non-academic continuing education and training. It conducts a series of education and training programs featuring SIT's disciplinary strengths and brand characteristics in fields such as "Safety Engineering," "Chemical Engineering," "Fragrance and Flavor," and "Civil Engineering." Integrating into the "Shanghai Service" brand initiative, the School responded to the strategic development needs of the Huangpu River cruise industry by establishing the Shanghai "Huangpu River Cruises" Talent Training Base. In collaboration with the China Air Transport Association Shanghai Training Center, it founded an "International Talent Training Base" to cultivate application-oriented high-end service professionals. To enhance the employability of full-time students, the School provides high-skilled talent certification training. It also offers vocational skills training for retired military personnel. Responding to the national and Shanghai "Silver Age Initiative," the School actively promotes education for senior citizens and community education.
The School actively undertakes special research projects commissioned by the Shanghai Municipal Education Commission, including "Research on Constructing Professional Standards for the Business Administration Major in Adult Higher Education," "Pilot Project for Promoting the Transformation of University Continuing Education (Research on Systems and Mechanisms & Development of Non-Academic Course Resources)," "Construction of University-Enterprise Cooperation Bases for Non-Academic Continuing Education (Aviation Services)," and "Shanghai Higher Education Continuing Education Learning Site Service Platform." Since 2017, the School has continuously been responsible for the "Specialized Training on Ideological and Political Work for University Continuing Education Teams."
The School is located in the elegant and conveniently located Xuhui Campus, which offers a quiet environment in the midst of the city. It comprises four departments: Comprehensive Management Department, Academic Affairs Department, Department of International Education and Career Development, and the Examination Center.
Looking ahead, the School will adopt "Reform and Transformation, Digital and Intelligent Innovation, Quality Improvement and Efficiency Enhancement" as its development direction. It will actively promote the transformation and upgrading from traditional continuing education towards an inclusive and intelligent lifelong education system. By empowering teaching and management through digital and intelligent technologies, the School will continuously optimize its educational service models, expand pathways for lifelong learning, and strive to build an open, flexible, and high-quality lifelong education system, contributing to the construction of a learning society.
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