On October 22, the "Continental Academy" set up in cooperation between Hefei University and Continental Tire (China) Co., Ltd. was officially unveiled.

The year 2025 marks the 40th anniversary of China–Germany cooperation in building Hefei University, and the

"Continental Class" programme jointly run by Hefei University, Germany’s Hochschule Emden/Leer University of Applied Sciences and Continental Tire (China) Co., Ltd. also enters its tenth year. In 2016, the two universities together with Germany’s Continental Group co-founded China’s first dual-track ("dual system") undergraduate program — the 'Continental Class' (majoring in Mechanical Design, Manufacturing and Automation) — creating a new model of talent development with four-party linkage among government, university, industry and German partners and a deep integration of industry and education.

Over the past decade, the "Continental Class" has actively explored the German "dual system" higher-education model, continuously deepening the integration of industry, majors and employment. Since classes began in 2016, six cohorts—129 students in total—have graduated from it; more than 87% have obtained high-quality employment, and 30% of the graduates joined Continental Tire (China) Co., Ltd.

The "Continental Academy" is a modern industry academy established in cooperation between Hefei University and Continental Tire (China) Co., Ltd. Some majors will be jointly developed with German partner institutions such as Hochschule Emden/Leer. The academy will focus on exploring dual-system master's-level engineering programs in specialty areas such as new energy vehicles and intelligent connected vehicles, extending the dual-system training pathway from undergraduate education to an integrated bachelor's-to-master's ladder. It aims to cultivate high-level technical R&D and project-management talents who "understand technology, excel in practice, and possess an international outlook."

Source: Anhui Daily