A Successfully Implemented Education Program Integrating Production, Research, and Innovation for an Eco-friendly Food and Tea Industry by College of Tea and Food Sciences at Wuyi University

Following the principle of education ecology, the College of Tea and Food Sciences at Wuyi University designed and implemented successfully a program to meet the challenge. The geological and cultural heritage of the region led the food and tea industries in northern Fujian Province to encounter developmental barriers in three distinctive areas. There were insufficient effective interactions between the local educational institutions and business entities, a lack of acumen awareness and ample resource to foster future development of the community, and inadequate supply of well-trained craftsmen and talented researchers for business advancement. With the realization, the authority at Wuyi University collaborated with the Nanping Specialty Tea Merchants and Green Food Industry to launch a revolutionary program. The program integrated production, research, and innovation to nurture teaching and training for an eco-friendly industry. It embraced advanced technology instruction and vocational skill mentoring to generate a pool of force to staff the industry, enforced the educational ecology principles to thoroughly reinvigorate the existing school operation, and introduced the meritocratic hiring and promotion mechanism for the participating corporations. The newly adapted approach functioned successfully for the local economy ever since its implementation. It appeared to be a working model not only for the region but for other localities in the nation as well. Nevertheless, case by case adjustments to address the specific requirements are highly recommended to maximize the benefits.