A Sense of Vocation

By Lu Yan

After graduating in May， Huang Xiaodong has landed his first job， at a local hi-tech enterprise focusing on milling technology research and development. When he was a numerical control machining major at a secondary vocational school in Huangshan City， Anhui Province， he had interned at the enterprise for one year before getting hired full-time because of his excellent performance.

“I will continue to work hard and hopefully become a technical expert in the machine tool industry in the future，” Huang told local news portal Anhuinews.com.

In April， Chinese lawmakers adopted a revision to the Vocational Education Law. The revision stipulates that vocational education is as important as general education and notes that the country should advance the reform and improve the quality of vocational education.

“The revised law serves as strong support for strengthening vocational education. Only by improving the quality and status of vocational education and giving educated people more choices for success， can we create a solid education development ecology，”Xiong Bingqi， educationalist and head of Beijingbased 21st Century Education Research Institute， told Beijing Review.

China’s vocational education comprises secondary and higher stages. Secondary vocational education is mainly offered to junior high school graduates or persons with a comparable level of education who will not pursue further studies at an academic senior high school. Higher vocational education mainly enrolls graduates from regular high schools and secondary vocational schools， with schooling lasting two to three years.

China has established the world’s largest vocational education system， with more than 11，000 schools nurturing 10 million graduates annually， according to statistics released by the Ministry of Education in May. Over the past decade， more than 90 percent of graduates from China’s higher vocational institutions were able to secure a job after graduation， a number higher than that among their peers who attended regular universities.

However， influenced by traditional concepts， many in society remain biased against vocational schools， thinking skilled labor translates as dirty， underpaid work held in low social esteem. Many parents consequently are reluctant to enroll their children in vocational education.

“I have seen changes in national policies， which attach more and more importance to vocational education. But big changes take time. For now， I still prefer my son attends university， unless he shows great interest in certain professions which require vocational training，” Sun Ping， mother of a junior high student， told Beijing Review.

“Some people think the assembly lines in our manufacturing industry still need a large relatively low-end labor force， which is an outdated perception that cannot keep up with China’s swiftly upgrading industrial development，” said Yao Yang， a professor at the National School of Development under Peking University， adding that the manufacturing industry no longer needs as many workers as before.

Vocational education should be considered as important as that of general education， and more efforts will go into improving the recognition of its value， according to the revised Vocational Education Law that took effect on May 1.

The law stipulates that vocational school graduates should enjoy equal opportunities for enrollment in more advanced schools， employment and career development as graduates from regular schools at the same level， adding that governments at all levels should create an equal employment environment and no enterprise is allowed to put forward discriminatory job requirements.

Enterprises that have played important roles in cultivating skilled workers and promoting their employment will be rewarded， according to the revised law. They are also encouraged to set up trainee posts for vocational students； take part in the compiling of textbooks， train vocational teachers； and create scholarships and grants for vocational students， the revision read.

According to a set of guidelines on promoting the high-quality development of modern vocational education released in October 2021， vocational schools should prioritize the training of high-caliber personnel for emerging industries， including advanced manufacturing， renewable energy， modern agriculture and artificial intelligence， the document stated. They are encouraged to set up majors that meet market demand. The promotion of overseas cooperation is another pressing item on the agenda.

Vocational schools have been upgrading and expanding their curricula to cater to the needs of wideranging national development.

Lantern Opera is a stellar performance program offered at the Nanchong Vocational and Technical College in Nanchong， Sichuan Province. The traditional local opera， listed as national intangible cultural heritage in 2006， flourished during the Ming Dynasty（1368-1644） and to this day sees performers sing and dance in full costume and makeup， telling the stories of ordinary people in northern Sichuan.

Several specialized related courses are on offer， such as design， music and dance. Students graduating from the program mainly work as opera actors， playwrights and developers of byproducts， keeping the art up-to-date and relevant in modern times. “We receive a large number of applications every year，” Liu Shu， a school official， told China Youth Daily. “We hope that more people can join us in the promotion of traditional culture and its related techniques.”

Similarly， Jingyuan County Vocational Secondary Professional School in Jingyuan， northwestern Gansu Province， has created a workshop on the art of Chinese paper cutting， with inheritors of the craft serving as lecturers. The art was added to UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2009.

Lu Lian， a student majoring in preschool education， believes that learning more about this traditional culture will benefit her future job as a kindergarten teacher.

Moreover， the revised law encourages the nurturing of more professionals in child and senior care， as well as household services， to meet rising market demand.

Since the country unveiled its latest edition of occupational classifications in 2015， China has added scores of new professions to its occupation list， including blockchain technician， community health worker and urban rail transit inspector.

“As a hi-tech manufacturing enterprise， we especially feel the shortage of skilled personnel，” Zhang Mei， Chairperson of smart robot developer Anhui Xuanli Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd.， said， adding that the country should give priority to ensuring the training of technical talents in the manufacturing and emerging technology industries.

In addition to policy support， governments at various levels and schools alike have adopted various measures to accelerate the improvement of vocational education and its public image.

For example， Hainan Province has been hosting professional skills competitions for years. Winners can receive financial awards， certificates， as well as a lift in their professional ranks and titles， altogether benefiting their future careers.

Many companies and educational institutions have established savvy partnerships. Lee Kum Kee， a Hong Kong-based food company that specializes in manufacturing a wide range of Asian sauces， has joined hands with the Guangzhou Vocational School of Tourism and Business in Guangdong Province and sponsored several culinary major students at the school. The two parties also established Guangdong cuisine classes， revving up enthusiasm for the cooking style and inspiring young students to master and promote it nationwide and worldwide.

With the support of the authorities， a number of county schools have also established comprehensive cooperation models with their global counterparts to strengthen mutual learning and exchanges. Take the Zhejiang Fashion Institute of Technology in Ningbo， Zhejiang Province， for example. It has sent teachers to the University of Salford in the UK to share curricular experiences and established internship programs for both schools’ students.

As the late UN Secretary General Kofi Annan once said， “Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. All education is the premise of progress， in every society， in every family.” BR