Achieving a graduate employment rate of 98.2 percent and a student employment satisfaction rate of 89 percent

Creating an integrated platform

Shenzhen City Polytechnic (Shenzhen) is in the industrial core area of the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area and is closely aligned with Shenzhen’s new energy vehicle (NEV) and intelligent manufacturing industries. The college consists of 13 secondary schools, including the Sino-German Intelligent Manufacturing School, the School of Design and the School of Information and Communication.

As the NEV and intelligent connected vehicle industries continue to expand, the demand for on-site engineers, professionals with skills in digital design, simulation analysis, system integration and intelligent manufacturing is rapidly increasing.

To address this trend, the School of Transportation and the Sino-German Intelligent Manufacturing School have partnered with Siemens Industry Software to jointly establish the New Energy Intelligent Connected Vehicle Industry School.

This initiative uses Siemens’ comprehensive digital solutions for automotive engineering, providing a digital prototype vehicle model to create a new integrated platform for teaching, practice, research and industrial applications.

Meeting the challenge

Prior to the project launch, the college faced several key challenges:

The teaching model remained centered on traditional automotive training, making it difficult to meet the talent development needs of the automotive industry’s Digital Transformation. The curriculum content lacked new technology courses such as digital design and simulation analysis. Teachers had limited capabilities in digital teaching and engineering guidance, resulting in a shortage of experienced industrial software instructors. Students lacked access to enterprise-standard certification channels, limiting their viability in the industry.

Deploying a digital ecosystem

Shenzhen and Siemens jointly established a digital industry academy, creating a new model of industry-education integration. Siemens deployed industrial software to build a digital teaching platform. They jointly developed digital vehicle models and a corresponding curriculum system to achieve seamless integration between classroom learning and real-world engineering scenarios. They created an enterprise-standard certification system and project-based teaching mechanism to provide future engineers with strong practical skills.

Hands-on automotive training teaching model

Although the college had already established relatively comprehensive automotive training facilities, covering smart connectivity, automotive electronics and new energy vehicles, the existing equipment was still primarily focused on traditional maintenance and hands-on vehicle operations.

This caused a gap between course content and the rapid technological progress of the automotive industry, making it difficult to meet the demand for high-quality, digitally skilled technicians.

In addition, with limited experience using industrial software, the instructors relied on textbook teaching and hands-on training. To overcome these challenges, Siemens developed a digital vehicle-based training system, organizing multiple teacher training sessions and mentoring programs, while jointly developing digital vehicle models and supporting teaching resource packages based on NX™ software, Simcenter™ Amesim™ software and Teamcenter® software, which are all part of the Siemens Xcelerator business platform of software, hardware and services.

“As a long-time NX user, I can tell you the more you use it, the more you trust its stability; the deeper you teach it, the more you realize its true strength,” says Ma Ziqian, vice dean of the School of Transportation.”

Using a three-stage mechanism of project introduction, teaching application and results feedback, all instructors transformed from learners to practitioners within six months. They can now use digital vehicle models in the classroom to deliver a complete teaching process, from structural design and system simulation to performance optimization.

This marks the college’s transition from traditional hands-on operation to a Digital Twin-driven education model.

A benchmark Shenzhen model

The collaboration between Siemens and Shenzhen has created a benchmark Shenzhen model, a replicable pathway for the Digital Transformation of vocational education. It includes jointly establishing the New Energy Intelligent Connected Vehicle Industry college. Siemens provides a full suite of industrial digital solutions while the college integrates teaching and training resources, designing the curriculum and jointly cultivating talents with strong engineering and practical capabilities.

They built a Digital Twin platform for automotive education and practice. Centered on NX and Teamcenter, this platform is used to manage all vehicle digital models. Other key automotive engineering tools include Simcenter Amesim for system simulation and Simcenter for multiphysics analysis.

1. Codeveloping a teaching-level digital vehicle model and curriculum material

Siemens and the college jointly developed a digital vehicle model for teaching, covering 1D system modeling, 3D geometry, structural simulation and multibody dynamics. Teaching materials were also created, covering courses such as “NX Motion Simulation” and “Fundamentals of Automotive Mechanics.” Using digital models, students engage in design, modeling and validation exercises, ultimately completing course projects and achieving a full learning loop from theoretical study to practical application.

Enterprise standards and certification system
The college has signed a cooperation agreement with Siemens to establish an on-campus certification system covering both teachers and students. This allows participants to complete the full process from training to certification on campus, emphasizing the teaching philosophy of “learning on campus, working on the job.” According to the plan, the certification system will be fully implemented by 2026, ensuring that all students participate in certification training, providing graduates with a pathway to align their capabilities with enterprise standards.

2. Learning by doing teaching model Leveraging industrial software platforms such as NX and Simcenter Amesim, students integrate real engineering scenarios into the full-cycle practice of design, simulation and optimization in various competitions, significantly enhancing their engineering thinking and practical skills.

“As digital education takes shape, NX stands at its core, an integrated platform for design and engineering analysis,” says Xiang Jinlin, NX curriculum development lead, School of Transportation. “It’s used across courses in automotive engineering, intelligent manufacturing and electrical systems, enabling students to complete full-cycle project training from 3D modeling and motion simulation to performance evaluation.

“NX is more than just software; it is the bridge that connects theory with practice and the classroom with industry.”

The learn-by-doing teaching approach

NX serves as the core platform of learn-bydoing, enabling students to apply classroom knowledge in engineering projects, enhancing their skills in analysis and design, establishing NX as a key tool for developing top-tier engineering talent.

Industrial design innovation

Students used NX for surface modeling, feasibility analysis and rendering, mastering the process from design to manufacturing.

Smart manufacturing project

Using NX, students optimized component assembly and structural layout, improving efficiency and functionality.

1. NX triathlon challenge

Students applied NX to complete 3D modeling, assembly and motion simulation of an engine, integrating mechanical principles with digital validation. This included 3D part modeling and assembly design. From concept sketches to 3D models, students designed automotive components. They also used finite element analysis (FEA) to validate design reliability with simulation instead of trial-and-error. Finally, they used a Digital Twin for motion simulation, modeling crank-connecting rod motions to replicate engine dynamics.

Using structural simulation for drone force analysis
Using NX, students analyzed the servo system of a drone to verify structural stability and reliability, further improving their engineering simulation skills.

Students majoring in new energy and intelligent vehicles need to master current design concepts and engineering logic. Competitions provide the chance to learn and enhance their skills.

In the past, students often had to make repeated modifications during project development. But since adopting NX for reverse modeling and simulation in competitions, their design precision has greatly improved as there are few errors and models are often finalized in just one iteration. Using NX turns their creative ideas into real, achievable designs.”

The proof is in the numbers
Shenzhen achieved a graduate employment rate of 98.2 percent, a high-quality employment rate of 70 percent and a student employment satisfaction rate of 89 percent, clearly demonstrating the impact of digital teaching reform on talent quality and employability.

Building a replicable model of industry-education integration

Shenzhen will continue to work closely with Siemens to advance the following initiatives: Integrating platforms such as NX, Simcenter Amesim and Teamcenter into a wider range of academic programs, establishing a campus-wide faculty training and certification system to enhance digital teaching capabilities, strengthening the pathways between college and enterprise for joint research and development (R&D), internships and employment, and building a replicable Shenzhen Model to support the high-quality development of vocational education.

This Digital Transformation in education has turned the classroom into an engineering site, shifting students from passive learners to active developers in industry projects.

With Siemens’ collaboration, Shenzhen has introduced NX, Simcenter Amesim and Teamcenter to build a teaching and practice platform centered on the Digital Twin. What Siemens has provided is more than just a set of tools: It is a complete solution for the future of engineering education, breaking the boundaries of traditional vocational learning and integrating real industrial scenarios into everyday teaching.