A photo of a car by Volkswagen on an auto show. [Photo/Xinhua]

Volkswagen has agreed to build Asia's first components and parts institute in Tianjin, in cooperation with the Tianjin Development Area and Sino-German Vocational School, according to the Tianjin Development Area's Administrative Commission.

The institute will follow the German vocational school model and provide training in the industry.

Tianjin Development Area will support the institute with preferential policies. The Sino-German Vocational School will take charge of student enrollment. And Volkswagen Auto will be responsible for the training.

Joerg Asmussen, secretary of German Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs remarked that Volkswagen will bring German vocational education– "Dual Element Mode" to Tianjin factories and cultivate 500 students under that model.

The "Dual Element Model" is a training system that not only focuses on theoretical knowledge, but also involves practice and hands-on experience in the industry.

One element of the model is teaching professional knowledge. The other element is practice outside the school, such as in enterprises that offering technical training. The majority of this model is off-campus training.

The "Dual Element Model" has been implemented in Germany for more than a century. More than 75 percent of junior high school graduates in Germany attend vocational schools following the model. Only 25 percent of junior high graduates pursue higher education.

The "Dual Element Model" supports industrial development in Germany, according to experts. The model is also called the "silver bullet" of the economic takeoff in Germany.

The Volkswagen Automatic Gearbox Tianjin Company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Volkswagen Automobile, which was launched in 2014 and is responsible for producing new generation advanced dual clutch gearboxes.

The test and analysis center, which takes care of the overall dual clutch gearbox business in China, will be launched in Tianjin in 2016.