The Empirical Study on Chinese Style Dual System Basing on Foxconn Training Base Program

Guo Nan

Abstract：So far many existing papers have made study on dual system.While most scholars take the opinion that dual system can give obviously positive effect to skilled talent training，some theorists argue that the precondition of dual system performs excellently is dual system should be localized according to the reality of a country or a district.This paper analyzes dual system practice in China from an example of Foxconn Training Base，the conclusion is that in Foxconn Training Base Program，dual system has been localized successfully and evolved into triangle system，and this program management pattern can be used in other areas of China as a mature，standard Chinese dual system pattern for skilled talent training.

Keywords：skilled talent training，dual system，Foxconn Training Base

中圖分类号：G642 文献标识码：A 文章编号：1674-9324（2012）07-0052-03

Ⅰ. Introduction

Since Theodore W.Schultz proposed “human capital theory”on American Economics Annual in 1960，the academic community has never stopped the study on human capital in which one of the most important research fields is skilled talent training.From theoretical inspect，Nayar（1970）fully analyzed the main three durations of skilled talent training，i.e.preparation period of skilled talent training，skilled talent training itself and successful practical training period.In the first period，candidates should accumulate general foundation knowledges and basic skills which is essential to face general and more complicated atmospheres.In the second period，the primary mission is to give various training of different levels and different industries to different candidates，try to make them master the capacity to face the demand of most overwhelming，most complicated social task.In the third period，industry must dominate in the whole duration，take the responsibility to provide practical training resources for skill training candidates.Since skilled personnel training is most beneficial to industries，Nayar proposed that industrial capital should flow into and combine with each period of skilled talent training.From Nayar's interpretation，we can know the basic dual system in early days.The scholars after that has made deeper research on dual system.Boreham（2002）analyzed the trend of “German dual systemized”of U.K.skilled talent training pattern，i.e.paying attention to acquisition and understanding of substantial basic knowledge and basic skills needed by the vocations.Boreham argued that，this classic type of German skilled talent training pattern reflect more demand on academic context，and thought that the crucial point of successful implement of this training pattern is how to decide the range of basic knowledge and skills and how to divide different，various standard courses todifferent candidate by best efficiency.Bisshop-Clark et al（2010）had done further research on dual system，paying attention to a program of cooperation of university and training institute about skilled talent training using dual system，through deep investigation and telephone interview，he evaluated effects of 64 students who had accepted dual credit courses training，and made deep analysis on important aspects of dual system such as cooperation relationship，course design，course management，teach evaluation，effect estimation，short-period training and practice.The conclusion is the cooperation of university and training institute on dual training can not only get great success in short period，and can show as a good model of skilled talent training for other colleges and institutes.In order to explore effect of dual system in the long-run，Korpi，Graaf，Hendrickx and LayteSource（2003）used life circle data of U.K.，Ireland and Sweden，studied the effect of skilled talent train on getting jobs.The research showed that，skill train of dual system can obviously reduce the friction cost and uncertainty of the skilled talents in the period from leaving colleges to getting on job vocations.It also has positive influence on career development of individuals，render personnels be more adapted to market and to transfer more flexibly to higher jobs position and to reduce their risks dramatically of “waiting for job”.Since dual system has so many advantages，China has practiced it in a long time combining with China's reality，especially since open policy implement of 33 years ago.The successful case of dual system in China deserves research.

Ⅱ. Foxconn Training Base Program and Dual System

In 2009，Collings and Mellahi highlight the importance of the management of skilled talents in enterprise practice.They built a theoretical context of skilled talent management，and took the opinion that the crucial point is to security that the personnels trained were adapted to the needs oforganizations，can always give devotion to stable，lasting competition advantages.The conclusion was that we should evaluate whether the skilled talent training pattern is right through enterprise practice，the aspects contained by the enterprises' core competition capacity is the substantial point of skilled talent training.And also from empirical analysis，Tymon Jr.，Stumpf and P.Doh（2010）built a model of skilled talent management，they chose 4811 personnels in 28 Indian companies as research case，and explored that endogenous encourage has obvious influence on skilled talents' performance，organization satisifaction，career success，etc.They divided endogenous encourage into four parts：personnels social responsibility，organization prizes，support of manager and performance management.The conclusion was that as an intermediate variable，endogenous encourage can supply retrieve the lack of spontaneous motive force in the train of skilled talent，to yield twice the result with half the effort.Above reserch reflect that the effect of dual system practice depend heavily on enterprises' management pattern，which is also，important part of skilled talent training pattern.In China，Foxconn has put this point of opinion into practice and create an efficient pattern which is appropriate for China.It is a classic case in which dual system combines with the reality of a dictrict' s economy，institution and culture very well.Foxconn is the registered trade name for Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.，Ltd.Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.，Ltd.（“Foxconn”）is a global leader in providing mechanical solutions.It is the largest manufacturer of connectors for use in PCs in Taiwan，and a leading manufacturer of connectors and cable assemblies in the world.The company also manufactures enclosures，primarily for desktop PCs and PC servers.Since its listing in 1991，the Company has grown significantly in terms of revenues and profit.It now has a market capitalization of over $6 billion USD.As Foxconn is a high-tech IT company，its dual system pattern contains many inovations.Since the forth season of 2008，global financial crisis shocking the world，there was also infulence on China.The shocking exposed the form of development in China.In the recent years，the cost of labor increses dramatically，matural resources and enviroment bearing capacity eliminate gradually，labor-intensive Industry in South-east China face arduous status.Foxconn is the largest Electronic Manufacturing Services （EMS）company in the world，and so it is a large labor-intensive enterprize.In order to improve development enviroment，since 2008，Foxconn has made a large-scale move from South China to Inland China，i.e.，form headquater in Shenzhen to Henan province，Hubei province，Hunan province，Sichuan province，etc.，and build many manufacturing bases there.Since Foxccon has a large demand for labors，about 300，000 skilled personnels，how many will be need to satisfy the new bases，it implements a program named Foxconn Training Base Program.In this pragram，Foxconn negotiated with many higher vocational colleges in China and cooperate to train skilled personnels with dual system.To be more clear，Foxconn builds many training bases in its factories over China，then in the first period，vacational colleges teach the basic knowledges and skills which the students need when they enter the Foxconn factories.Then in the second period，they are organized as groups and enter Foxconn manufacturing bases.At there，they use the knowledges and skills they have learned in the colleges to lead job.In the practice，they accumulate practical experiences and to understand very well in the college knowledge.When the train is over，they come out from training base，and become a mature skilled worker，and also become “dual system talent”，who owns the enough experience and powerful energy to do some operation occupation very well in this field.

Ⅲ. Government Plan in Foxconn Training Base Program

The special characteristic of Foxconn training base program is that this kind of dual system has involved government plan in a great extent.Government's role in dual system is that it can organize，coordinate all kinds of resources，guide the personels and training，and provided valid skilled talent for factories which need amounts of workers in the long run.From 2009，the Education Department of Henan province letout many notices to the vacational colleges over the province，divide the recruitment plan into each colleges，and guide the colleges to organize students to enter into Foxconn training bases and do practical work.When goverment takes part in this program，the model has changed into not only a conpany's behavior，but a government behavior，which gives influence on all parts of the society.First，Foxconn training base program becomes a system which is authorized by government，which lifts the level of the program，the program so become a formal and official patterm which can be learned and used by other companies and vacational colleges in the future，and the its effect will be more and more obvious.Second，other department of the government，besides education department，will take this program as a signal that they should also support this kind of dual system，because it is not only benefical to vacational colleges and Foxconn companies，but also beneficial for all the economy and the whole society to go in a more efficient status.Third，this program can train a large amount of skilled talent in not long time，meanwhile security the quality of the skilled personnels.

Ⅳ. Triangle Pettern of Foxconn Training Base Program

We use a triangle to show Foxconn Training Base Program.Figure4.1 shows the structure of this triangle.In this tiangle，Foxconn transfer labor demand to the government，government guide vacational colleges，colleges move students to Foxconn.And the outcome of circulation of this three kinds of power，is that skilled talent get valid training.

Figure 4.1 Dual System of Foxconn Training Base

Ⅴ. Conclusions

This paper has done research on a new pattern of dual system in skilled talent education.We take the opinion that the dual system should be localized when operate it，otherwise it will not work，or work not very well.In this paper，we take Foxconn Training Base Program as an example，and analyze how it is being implemented and why it is appropriate for China.We abstract the Foxconn Training Base into a standard model called triangle model，and analyze the different roles of the government，colleges and enterprises in this model and how this triangle circulate.We think the success of this Chinese-style of dual system due to it takes the advantage of Chinese government management，which can become intermediate of colleges and enterprises.We hope this experience of China's skilled talent training and vacational education can be learned by other countries and districts.The crucial point of this learning is that we hope we have provided a new thought pattern or a localization method to the education planers，colleges and enterprises，got the possibility to inspire them to do better in dual system operations，rather than copy Chinese-style triangle model of dual system itself.

References：

[1]Nayar，D.P.Problems of Technical Education.Economic and Political Weekly，1970，（12）：533-539.

[2]Boreham，Nick.Work Process Knowledge，Curriculum Control and the Work-Based Route to Vocational Qualifications.British Journal of Educational Studies，2002， （2）：225-237.

[3]Bishop-Clark，Cathy; Janet Hurn，et al.High School Teachers Teaching College Courses to Career Technical Education Students？A Story of Success.Journal of Career and Technical Education，2010，（2）：78-93.

Author Introduction：Guo Nan，postgraduate student，School of Vocational Education，Tianjin University of Technology and Education.