State Council releases vocational education reform implementation plan

China has vowed to cultivate more quality laborers and skilled workers by reforming its vocational education systems, according to a plan for implementing the reform issued by the State Council, or China’s cabinet.

Vocational education and training systems will be reformed to match science and technology development trends and market demand, and to promote economic modernization and higher quality employment, the official documents note.

All sectors of society, especially enterprises, are encouraged to support the country’s vocational education, it says, adding that major companies are welcome to run vocational schools and offer high-quality programs.

The plan details measures to improve national systems and policies relating to vocational education and lift the quality of both secondary and higher vocational education in the country.

Moreover, China will establish national standards for vocational education and ensure standards regarding teaching, education materials and teachers are properly met, aiming to nurture and pass down “craftsmanship,” according to the document released on Thursday.

Under a trial system set to be implemented from 2019, students at vocational colleges, as well as universities that mainly offer undergraduate programs in applied areas, will be awarded an academic certificate plus diplomas of vocational skills of various levels.

In five to ten years, operators of China’s vocational education institutions, which are now mostly government-run, will be diversified and include more entities or personnel from non-government sectors, according to the plan.