The Shanghai Institute of Foreign Trade (SIFT) celebrated its 50th anniversary on Oct 16 after half a century of molding the country's top talents in the realm of foreign trade.

SIFT, one of the first institutes to produce prominent talents in this field, has continued to grow in line with the nation's export-led advancement, said its president, Sun Haiming.

"Our institute's courses have continuously produced high-caliber students with a broad knowledge of foreign trade and related subjects," he told China Daily.

"Moreover, our dedication to training them in foreign languages and providing them with real-time case studies ensures they stand out when hunting for jobs."

SIFT was founded in 1960 and subordinated to the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, bestowing on it close links to foreign-trade policy makers. It has been under the administration of Shanghai's local government since 1994.

It now boasts two campuses, one in Gubei and another in Songjiang University Town, offering about 30 undergraduate courses, mostly in foreign trade, foreign languages, finance and law.

Sun said that new courses pertaining to insurance, accounting and applied economics were established several decades ago.

"We adjusted our curriculum after China's reform and opening-up polices were unveiled in the 1980s to stay in tune with China's economic growth."

SIFT is scouting for opportunities to team up with overseas academic institutions for joint programs in a bid to reinforce its reputation across the globe, he said.

It now oversees three such joint programs in the form of the RMIT International Business School, the Sino-America Maodeshen Financial Management School, and the Sino-Britain English and Business School.

SIFT also trains senior personnel who are proficient in international commerce and law about World Trade Organization (WTO) rules at its School of WTO Research & Education, the first of its kind in the world. The school aims to produce senior policy makers.

SIFT plans to add new teaching facilities, such as a library and student union, in the near future to create a better environment for its faculty members, Sun said.

(China Daily 10/22/2010)