Cultivating High-Quality Technical Workers for the Future

Integrating Vocational and General Education

China is actively working to integrate vocational and general education, aiming to cultivate more high-quality technical and skilled workers. This initiative is driven by the growing need for skilled professionals to support the country's economic development.

Wang Qiyao, a deputy to the National People's Congress, emphasizes the importance of aligning vocational education with societal needs. He calls for accelerating the integration of vocational and general education, improving the talent training system, and providing students with diverse pathways for growth.

Dalian, a port city in Liaoning province, serves as a model for this integration. The city has established a robust policy system, optimized vocational education classification, and fostered industry-education collaboration. Dalian has launched eight vocational education groups in key sectors, ensuring alignment with industrial development.

To break the development ceiling for vocational students, Wang suggests piloting undergraduate vocational education majors and upgrading vocational institutions. He also encourages undergraduate institutions to take on more vocational education responsibilities and develop graduate-level vocational education.

Dalian has successfully integrated vocational and general education resources, linking vocational colleges with open universities. The city boasts a national-level demonstration higher vocational college, ten national-level demonstration secondary vocational schools, and 43 national-level vocational education training bases.

To align vocational majors with industry needs, Dalian has promoted school-enterprise cooperation, creating 63 regional industry-education integration practice centers. Six of these centers have been recognized as national model cases, and Jinpu New Area has been designated as one of China's first national-level city industry-education alliances.

Wang emphasizes the need for continued improvements in the management system for industry-education integration, the formulation of national plans for top-tier secondary vocational schools and majors, and the utilization of industry associations to enhance vocational education. He also stresses the importance of empowering new quality productive forces through high-quality vocational education, implementing digital transformation in curriculum teaching, and integrating digital technology into vocational education.

By integrating vocational and general education, China aims to bridge the gap between education and industry, ensuring a steady supply of skilled workers to drive its economic growth and technological advancement.