On March 28, 2024, the opening ceremony for the 2023-2024 MIIT SME Business Management Leadership Training Program Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) - Xinjiang Class was grandly held in Room 241 of the main building at BIT. The ceremony was attended by Li Zongchen, Deputy Director of the Talent Service Department of the Talent Exchange Center of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT); Liu Wenhong, Deputy Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the SME Business Management Talent Quality Improvement Project Coordination Office; Lu Shutao, Director of the SME Department of the Talent Service Department of the Talent Exchange Center; Liu Zebing, Executive President of the Xinjiang SME Association and Head of the Xinjiang Leadership Talent Project; Yan Zhijun, Party Secretary of the School of Management at BIT; Wu Shuilong, Director of the Joint Center for Professional Degree Education; Li Xiaohui, Deputy Director of the Joint Center; and all the entrepreneur trainees of the Xinjiang Class. The ceremony was hosted by Liu Wenhong, Deputy Secretary-General of the Secretariat of the SME Business Management Talent Quality Improvement Project Coordination Office.

The opening ceremony began with the resounding national anthem. Party Secretary Yan Zhijun introduced the history of BIT’s red education and the development of the School of Management. He expressed gratitude to MIIT, the Xinjiang Department of Industry and Information Technology, and the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps for their continuous trust and support. Yan emphasized that BIT will leverage its multidisciplinary comprehensive advantages and top-notch university resources to empower the development of Xinjiang's SMEs in various ways, providing the best services to the students and wishing them great success in their studies and future endeavors.

Liu Zebing, Executive President, expressed his gratitude to MIIT and BIT for their support of Xinjiang's SME development. He pointed out that SMEs are the driving force behind the healthy and rapid economic development of the Xinjiang region, hoping that the trainees would bring new vitality to Xinjiang's economic development through their learning.

Deputy Director Li Zongchen introduced the history and characteristics of the MIIT SME Business Management Leadership Talent Project and a series of policies and measures to promote SME development. He emphasized the crucial role of talent in the nation's modernization, particularly the strategic position of leadership talent in advancing new industrialization. He called on entrepreneurs to continue playing their leading roles and contribute to national development.

Yu Peixiang, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, Vice Chairman, and General Manager of the Municipal Transportation Group of Xinjiang Construction Corps, spoke on behalf of the new trainees. The attending leaders presented the class flag to the Xinjiang Class representatives and the class teacher, and they pinned the BIT badge and leadership talent badge on the representatives, marking the official launch of the 2023-2024 MIIT SME Business Management Leadership Training Xinjiang Class and symbolizing the trainees' responsibility to drive SME development forward.

Since becoming a training base for Xinjiang SMEs in 2014, the School of Management has been committed to providing intellectual support for the development of Xinjiang SMEs and establishing a platform for school-enterprise cooperation. The school will continue to integrate various resources inside and outside the university, offering excellent faculty, high-quality courses, and a diverse second classroom to provide comprehensive and multidimensional training for the entrepreneur trainees from Xinjiang. With the guidance of MIIT, the support of the Xinjiang Department of Industry and Information Technology, and the efforts and systematic learning of the trainees, it is believed that they will gain significant benefits and return fully equipped for their future roles.