Ear Era Announces Customized Audiologist Training Programs, Aims to Become the 'Whampoa Military Academy' of Hearing Health
On February 28, 2017, the Strategic Launch Event for Aier Times’ Audiology Education was held at the American Club in Beijing, announcing that Aier Times would establish a “Whampoa Military Academy” for audiology professionals, tailoring courses specifically for practitioners in China’s hearing industry.
Aier Times aims to cultivate professional and dedicated audiology talents through specialized audiology education, providing international-standard hearing healthcare services to the hundreds of millions of people in China who require such support. Representatives from Legend Capital, Guohai Capital, Hulianwang, Sunflower Hearing and Speech Rehabilitation Center, as well as domestic and international audiology scholars, major hearing medical equipment manufacturers, and relevant media outlets attended the launch event, jointly witnessing a historic moment for audiology in China.
Ai'er Times is dedicated to establishing a high-quality hearing healthcare service organization, aspiring to be the leader in innovation within China’s audiology services. By truly understanding the quality-of-life needs of Chinese families and integrating superior domestic and international resources, our team of audiologists—backed by international audiology training backgrounds and certified qualifications—provides Chinese families with comprehensive, one-stop hearing solutions.
Aier Times Hearing Academy is a professional audiology education institution under Aier Times, primarily dedicated to training young audiologists in China who are committed to serving the hearing-impaired community. As early as 2013, its predecessor, China Hearing Online, was already providing professional audiology education. At that time, online audiology education in China was virtually nonexistent. Founded by Dr. Liang Qi, an international audiologist, China Hearing Online equipped young audiologists with the most up-to-date global knowledge in audiology. Later, with the establishment of Aier Times, audiology theory transitioned from online platforms to offline practice, enabling families with hearing-impaired members to truly experience internationally standardized hearing services. Within just four years, more than 50 hearing centers, clinics, and offices were established across China, delivering highly professional and exceptional hearing services to tens of thousands of hearing-impaired families annually. The promising industry outlook also enabled Aier Times to secure tens of millions of US dollars in Series B financing.
In 2015, the Era of Hearing Academy was established as China’s first internationally collaborative audiology education institution. Integrating professional audiology education, academic exchange, and scientific research, it provides high-end educational services to audiologists, hearing aid dispensers, otologists, and other hearing healthcare professionals. In the same year, the introduction of the “Pediatric Hearing Assessment and Cochlear Implant Course” created a sensation in the field of audiology, enabling young Chinese audiologists to engage directly with international experts and elevating the standard of audiology services in China.
In 2016, Aier Times partnered with Salus University in the United States to launch an advanced graduate program in audiology, specially customized for China, allowing students to experience the excitement of “cross-border learning.”
As demand for more audiology courses grows, the iHear Academy has launched a new program aimed at becoming the “Whampoa Military Academy” for audiology professionals, offering tailored curricula designed specifically for practitioners in China’s hearing healthcare industry.
Currently, the iEar Audiology Academy offers audiology courses leading to various levels and types of academic credentials from universities in the United States and the United Kingdom. The faculty includes renowned audiologists such as Professor James Hall from Salus University (USA), Professor Jace Wolfe, Director of the Oklahoma City Hearing Center (USA), Professor Li Xu from Ohio University (USA), and Professor Jian Wang from Dalhousie University (Canada).
At the iEar Hearing Academy, students will engage in face-to-face learning and exchanges with renowned audiologists from China and abroad. They will receive hands-on clinical guidance and mentorship from instructors during offline sessions, gaining direct exposure to real-world clinical cases. This learning process enables students to build a solid theoretical foundation, develop practical operational skills, and enhance their ability to resolve complex clinical challenges. Upon completing both online and offline coursework and passing the required assessments, students will be awarded internationally recognized audiology credentials, graduation certificates, or academic degrees.
Dr. Liang Qi, Founder and CEO of Aier Times, stated, “With this launch of online education in audiology, we aim to enable more hearing healthcare professionals to access advanced training that is aligned with international standards, thereby enhancing their competencies and better serving individuals with hearing impairments. Aier Times aspires to become the ‘Whampoa Military Academy’ of audiology, providing practitioners with robust learning opportunities and career development platforms, while also cultivating and supplying a greater pool of talent to the hearing healthcare industry.”
China faces a severe shortage of professional audiologists. In response to this challenge, the Ai'er Shidai Hearing Academy cultivates domestic audiology talent through specialized vocational education.
iHear Era and HuLianWang Forge Strategic Partnership to Train Over 1,000 Audiologists
At this press conference, Aier Times will also establish a strategic partnership with HuLianWang. Through this collaboration, the Aier Times Hearing Academy will provide professional audiology education to nurses across China who are dedicated to serving individuals with hearing impairments. In the future, these nurses may also choose to pursue careers in audiology-related fields, offering broad career prospects and significantly enhanced professional value.
On March 3 this year, China will observe the 18th National Ear Care Day, themed “Prevention and Treatment of Hearing Loss, Precision Services.” Currently, there are over 250 million people with hearing disabilities worldwide, accounting for more than 4% of the global population. The impact of hearing impairment is expected to continue rising, with its ranking among diseases projected to climb from 15th in 2004 to 7th by 2030. Driven by sustained demand growth, audiology is a field with significant prospects for expansion.
In the ranking of the best jobs in the United States, audiologists rose from 43rd place in 2009, to 34th in 2010, then to 9th in 2011, and reached the top spot by 2015. In China, 120 million people require hearing services, while the population with hearing disabilities stands at 27.8 million, including 800,000 children under the age of seven, with 30,000 newborns diagnosed with hearing disabilities each year.
Faced with substantial demand, online audiology education will also evolve toward more advanced levels in the future. Education has traditionally been defined as passive; without a specific purpose, it is difficult for learners to take the initiative. Therefore, making audiology education more gamified and social to encourage proactive engagement is believed to be a key development trend for online audiology education in the future. The Hearing Academy of Aier Times breaks through temporal and spatial constraints, facilitating greater participation of audiology professionals in learning and self-improvement, and filling the gap in vocational audiology education in China.