Shanghai Disney Resort announced the establishment of the Shanghai Disney Dream Vocational Campus on Feb 21, marking a step in its commitment to developing tourism industry talent in China.

The first campus will be established at the Shanghai Institute of Tourism, with internal admissions beginning in March.

"Shanghai Disney Resort is committed to nurturing the next generation of tourism professionals by equipping students with practical skills, real-world industry knowledge, and employment opportunities early in their careers," said Andrew Bolstein, senior vice-president of operations at Shanghai Disney Resort.

"Through the Shanghai Disney Dream Vocational Campus program, we are excited to enhance our work in cultivating young talent, together with local schools such as the Shanghai Institute of Tourism, to provide hands-on learning experiences and leading industry insights that will empower students to excel in China's tourism sector and advance its service quality," he said.

Students enrolled in the program will be offered a co-created curriculum, practical training programs, and internship opportunities at Shanghai Disney Resort.

"It represents a new form of diversified education and industry-education integration," said Kang Nian, president of the Shanghai Institute of Tourism.

The vocational campus aims to cultivate highly skilled service and management talent for the tourism, leisure and vacation sectors by enhancing the mechanisms that incorporate positive ideals with technical education, as well as integrating work experience and academics to provide a better practical solution for deepening industry-education integration, said Kang.

The inaugural program will enroll 100 students from various majors, including tourism management, omni-media advertising planning and marketing, hotel management and digital operations, catering management, tourism English, and exhibition planning and management.

It will offer a two-and-a-half-year program, with two years of classroom learning followed by a six-month practical internship at the resort. The curriculum will be delivered through a combination of professional Disney trainers, online learning platforms, and interactive teaching methods.

Since 2016, Shanghai Disney Resort has launched the Shanghai Disney Resort Talent Class program at 14 institutions nationwide, attracting over 2,400 students. Among them, nearly half who completed internships were hired as full-time cast members at the resort.

The resort has also partnered with more than 150 educational institutions across China, providing internship opportunities to over 22,000 students, with more than 3,000 continuing their careers at Disney.

The vocational campus program aims to prepare students for careers in the tourism sector and cultivate talents for the industry, said Hu Ziyi, director of Talent Acquisition and Cast Experience of Shanghai Disney Resort.

She detailed the curriculum structure: "Our program combines Disney's culture, operational knowledge, and soft skills development. The courses are designed based on our years of operational experience and broader industry insights."

Looking ahead, the resort plans to expand the academy model to more institutions across the Yangtze River Delta region and eventually nationwide, said Hu, adding that the initiative comes at a time as Shanghai Disney Resort continues to grow, with a third hotel under construction and new attractions in development.

As international tourism rebounds, Hu said the program also aims to cultivate talents to meet the demands of an increasingly global tourist market.