China’s vocational education system is serving as a cornerstone for the nation’s advancement in modern manufacturing, strategic emerging industries, and modern services. According to the Report on the Development of Vocational Education in China, over 70 percent of new frontline workers in these sectors are graduates of vocational schools.
In 2021, the Ministry of Education revised the vocational major catalog to include more majors in strategic emerging industries, the modern service sector, digital transformation, and rural revitalization. This initiative aimed to align educational programs with the evolving needs of the economy and to prepare a workforce skilled in cutting-edge technologies and services.
By 2023, higher vocational schools introduced 1,266 new school locations offering majors related to strategic emerging industries such as next-generation information technology, high-end equipment manufacturing, new materials, and biotechnology. This represents an 8.24 percent increase from the previous year and has resulted in the graduation of over 1.05 million students equipped to meet the demands of advanced industries.
Vocational education institutions are increasingly collaborating with enterprises to address frontline production challenges. Vocational colleges have undertaken more than 2,700 state-level scientific research projects and have provided technical services to enterprises through university-enterprise technical service platforms, totaling more than 9.1 billion yuan (over $1.25 billion). Additionally, over 7,000 patent achievements have been transferred to enterprises, involving more than 540 million yuan.
As of 2023, China boasts over 11,000 vocational schools, including technical schools, with nearly 35 million students enrolled. This makes China’s vocational education system the largest in the world. By focusing on the development needs of new quality productivity and optimizing professional settings, vocational education lays a solid foundation for supplying high-quality laborers essential for the nation’s economic growth.
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China's vocational education boosts new quality productive forces
cgtn.com
