Guangdong Food and Drug Vocational College (GFDVC) is a national high quality vocational college with a construction plan of high-level vocational colleges and specialties with Chinese characteristics. It is one of the Model Higher Vocational Colleges and one of the First-Class Higher Vocational colleges under construction in Guangdong Province. It is also a pilot unit of modern apprenticeship system of the Ministry of Education and a construction unit of Demonstration Vocational Education Group. GFDVC focuses on the specialist level education covering the fields of engineering, science, medicine, management, literature and other categories. It engages in cultivating high-quality technical talents in pharmacy, traditional Chinese medicine, food, cosmetics, medical equipment, medical and health care, health management and other major health industries. The employment rate of our graduates has been in the forefront of Guangdong Province for many years. GFDVC is an advanced group in the employment of graduates of general colleges and universities in Guangdong Province. In 2019, the initial employment rate of GFDVC graduates reached 99.41%, ranking the first among 150 universities (including graduate and undergraduate schools) and 83 Higher Vocational Colleges in Guangdong.
Founded in 1965 and after more than half a century of development, GFDVC now has two campuses, Longdong campus and Baiyun campus. In 2019, GFDVC set up branch colleges in eight secondary vocational schools. There are 14 teaching units in Longdong campus, including School of Marxism, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine and Health Care, School of Nursing, School of Pharmaceutical Engineering,School of Medicine, School of Biotechnology, School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, School of food, School of Management, School of Medical Devices, School of Cosmetics and Art Design, International School, School of Software and School of Continuing Education.GFDVC recruits students mainly from Guangdong and acorss the country. Currently, there are 14791 full-time students enrolled, 7798 adult correspondence students and 3752 students on branch colleges. There are 664 full-time teachers on main campus, including 46 professors, 154 associate professors or equivalents (including non-full-time associate professors), and 108 doctoral and post-doctoral degree-holders. Nearly 76% of full-time teachers have master’s degree or above and 65% of them have double qualification. The total area of the campuses is 781139 square meters, consisting 262721 square meters of Longdong campus and 518418 square meters of Baiyun campus. The building area of the school buildings is 290000 square meters.The teaching and scientific research instruments and equipment worth 120.28 million yuan. The experimental training site covers and area of 80001.16 square meters. Additionally, GFDVC has 63 in-campus training bases and 1210 off-campus practice bases. Our College attaches great importance to scientific research. Since 2016, the total funding for scientific research has reached 22.314 million yuan, ranking the top of Vocational Colleges in Guangdong Province.
GFDVC adheres to its motto and tenet in “training high-quality technical talents for human health”. According to the social development goal of the "Great Health" industrial transformation and upgrading and construction of "Healthy Guangdong".In order to further accelerate the adjustment and upgrading of professional structure around the production, operation and service of health-related industrial chain,GFDVC will gradually forms the professional development pattern of nine specialised groups, including Chinese Medicine, Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Preparation Technology, Health Management, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Health care, Nursing, Food Quality and Safety, Medical Devices Maintenance and Management,and Cosmetics Technology.GFDVC actively carries out reform and innovation of cultivating talents. The Innovation and Entrepreneurship course and Aesthetic education was added in 2015 and 2016 respectively.In 2019, GFDVC brings the pilot of 1 + X certificate system, labor practice education and curriculum ideological and political education into the professional personnel training program. The College pays great attention to the cultivation of students' humanistic quality by implementing the liberal education plan and set up public art compulsory courses. All students learn at least one art skill during their time at college.
In November 2008, upon the approval by the Department of Education of Guangdong Province, GFDVC formed“Guangdong Food and Drug Vocational Education Group”,becoming the only typical case of group education recommended by the Provincial Department of Education to the Ministry of Education. GFDVC made a report as the only representative of Guangdong Province at the National Vocational Education System Reform Pilot Work Conference. We implement counterpart assistance project for Xishuangbanna. All our works have been included in the compilation of cases of National Vocational Education Collectivization for four consecutive years. At present, the Group has 911 member units, including 29 schools (11 secondary vocational schools, 6 higher vocational schools and 12 undergraduate universities), 4 government departments, 22 public institutions, 18 industry associations, 9 scientific research institutions and 829 enterprises.
In terms of domestic and international cooperation and exchanges, Hong Kong Vocational Training Council (VTC) and Guangdong Vocational Skills Appraisal and Guidance Center officially recognized GFDVC as the only "one test and multiple certificates" designated examination venue for Guangdong Hong Kong cooperative beauticians among all Guangdong Vocational Colleges in July 2017. In 2019, the “one test and multiple certificates” beautician program is open to Taiwanese candidates. Also, the program is listed as an education exchange project for Taiwan by the National Ministry of Education, whereas only two Higher Vocational Colleges’ programs in Guangdong are included in the project in year 2019. Additionally, being the initiator of Guangdong Vocational Education Alliance for the “Belt and Road” initiative, our College has held 11 training courses on traditional Chinese medicine culture inheritance and health care, which has trained 383 international students.
In recent years, Guangdong Food and Drug Vocational College has established cooperative relationships and programs with well-known international universities and institutions, such as Birmingham City University (U.K), the University of Auckland (New Zealand), University of South Australia (Australia), Shinawatra University (Thailand), Australia Green Star Healthcare Service, Nanyang Polytechnic (Singapore), Cheju Tourism College (South Korea), City University (Malaysia) and Hungkuang University (Taiwan Area, China) etc. The cooperation covers academic education, curriculum introduction, teachers and students exchanges, joint scientific research, social services, etc. Moreover, GFDVC has maintained a long-term and close cooperative relationship with more than 50 overseas universities and enterprises.
The college has actively built a high-level transnational integrated development platform of production, education, research and application that can reflect the industry characteristics, professional advantages and service capabilities of higher vocational colleges. With the support from G2 Group of the United States, GFDVC has established “Overseas Vocational and Technical Education Base (United States)", "Overseas High-level Talent Training Base (United States)" and "International Health Industry Engineering Center (United States)", and jointly established "Environment, Food, and Health Research Institute" with State University of New York at Albany (United States). Furthermore, Guangdong Food and Drug Vocational College has jointly established "Overseas Vocational Education Research Base" with Institute of Commercial Education (New Zealand) and so on.
In September 2019, GFDVC has recruited 11 international students from Laos to enroll in academic education. In November, GFDVC was awarded as one of the “Top 50 Asia-Pacific Vocational Colleges” and is the only domestic vocational college in the “Comprehensive Health” field.
