Professor Shao Wei, a member of the 11th batch of professional and technical talents dispatched from Shanghai to Xinjiang, Professor and doctoral supervisor at the College of Marine Science and Engineering of the university, successfully completed his one-and-a-half-year Xinjiang-supporting assignment and returned to Shanghai safely at 10 p.m. on January 12, 2026. Entrusted by the University Party Committee, leaders of the College Party Committee and faculty representatives welcomed Professor Shao at Pudong International Airport, extending their warm reception and sincere congratulations on his triumphant return after fulfilling his tasks excellently.
During his aid work in Xinjiang, the University Party Committee showed great concern for Professor Shao’s temporary post support. It provided full support for his work, offered timely assistance in daily life, and maintained regular emotional communication, laying a solid organizational foundation for him to accomplish his mission smoothly. In addition, on behalf of the University Party Committee, the College Party Committee visited and consoled Professor Shao’s family on multiple occasions, making every effort to guarantee comprehensive logistical support for his Xinjiang-supporting work.
From the banks of the Huangpu River to the Yarkand River, a distance of 5,000 kilometers could never hinder an educator’s sincere dedication. In August 2024, Professor Shao went to Kashui University of Technology and Vocational Skills as the interim Vice President, embarking on an 18-month journey of educational assistance for Xinjiang. On this vibrant land in western China, he fulfilled the dual missions embodying the responsibility of educators in the new era, interpreted the profound meaning of "educational power transcending mountains and seas" with practical actions, and demonstrated the unwavering commitment and profound compassion of a people’s teacher. While stationed there, he conducted in-depth research on local industrial demands, led the application and optimization of the first six higher vocational majors at the college, and facilitated the addition of seven new majors in 2025. He proactively arranged cutting-edge majors such as Intelligent Connected Vehicle Technology and Artificial Intelligence Technology Application, building a professional cluster system covering strategic emerging industries including new energy, digital economy and biomedicine, which realized dynamic alignment between professional clusters and industrial chains. He presided over the formulation of phased assessment standards, strengthened the connection between core vocational courses and undergraduate education pathways, and created dual improvement channels of vocational skills and academic qualifications for students in southern Xinjiang. By cooperating with undergraduate institutions and taking the opportunity of "pilot demonstration and collaborative empowerment", he dynamically optimized talent cultivation programs, innovated teaching evaluation mechanisms, strengthened practical teaching sessions, and strived to build pilot majors into benchmarks for high-quality development of vocational education. He promoted the establishment of a targeted department-support mechanism — for instance, Shanghai Urban Construction Vocational College paired up to support the Civil Engineering Department. Through weekly online teaching research sessions and monthly demonstration open classes, a three-dimensional teacher development ecosystem featuring mentoring by aiding teachers and learning practice for local teachers was established, aiming to foster a permanent local teaching team that would never leave. The 2025-grade talent cultivation plan revised under his leadership centered on employment orientation and competency-based education, eliminating outdated courses, adding cutting-edge content, and integrating the integration of posts, courses, competitions and vocational certificates into the overall curriculum system. Meanwhile, he promoted Kashui University of Technology and Vocational Skills to sign educational cooperation agreements with institutions both inside and outside Xinjiang such as Shihezi Vocational and Technical College. Exchanges through field investigations and seminars injected strong momentum into the leapfrog development of Kashui University of Technology and Vocational Skills.
Over the one-and-a-half years, ranging from major construction and talent training to faculty development and university-enterprise cooperation, Professor Shao drew a blueprint for the high-quality development of vocational education at Kashui University of Technology and Vocational Skills. His efforts have not only paved a path of skill growth for students in southern Xinjiang, but also built a bond of connection for educational collaboration between Shanghai and Kashgar.
In recent years, the College Party Committee has attached great importance to setting exemplary models for guidance and inspiration, strengthened ideological enlightenment and organizational guidance, accelerated the training of backbone young teachers, and fostered a positive atmosphere of striving for excellence across the college. The successful completion of this Xinjiang-supporting task serves as a vital manifestation of the college’s commitment to serving national strategies and fulfilling social responsibilities, marking another phased achievement in the college’s paired educational support initiatives. Moving forward, the college will continue to guide young teachers to excel in their own positions, carry forward the spirit of supporting Xinjiang, and contribute to the high-quality development of the university.
Figure 1 Professor Shao Wei returns to Shanghai successfully after completing his service assignment in Xinjiang
Figure 2 Discussions on the Integration of Higher Vocational and Undergraduate Education between Kashgar Institute of Technology and Kashgar University
Figure 3 Kashgar Institute of Technology signs an educational cooperation agreement with Shihezi Vocational and Technical College
Fig. 4 Presiding over the revision meeting of the 2025 talent training program
Fig. 5 Photo of Comrade Shao Wei at the on-site office of the Shanghai Headquarters for Counterpart Support to Xinjiang