Reference News Network, November 24 report - According to the UK's The Economist magazine website on November 19, a group of young people who will later drive China's development are working hard on the banks of the Fuchun River in Zhejiang Province. At Hangzhou Vocational and Technical College, 6,000 students are learning how to operate drones, maintain electric vehicles, and maintain industrial robots. Hangzhou Vocational and Technical College invites hundreds of Chinese enterprises each year to predict the demand for different technical talents, and the feedback from enterprises will influence the courses offered by the college.

According to the report, China is vigorously promoting more and higher quality practical skills training. Currently, about 34 million young people are studying in China's vocational education system.

If China wants to take a leading position in future technology fields, it needs a large number of outstanding scientists and engineers. At the same time, China needs a vast workforce of technical personnel to ensure the normal operation of all robots, data centers, and precision equipment. Ensuring a stable supply of these technical personnel is crucial for China to achieve its ambitious goals in the latest five-year economic plan.

In 2022, the Chinese government revised the Vocational Education Law, stating that vocational education is "equally important" as general education. In December 2024, the Ministry of Education of China announced that 40 new vocational courses would be opened, many of which are related to hot industries such as artificial intelligence and biomedicine. In June this year, the government launched a program aiming to conduct 30 million person-times of vocational skills enhancement training by 2027, focusing on fields urgently needed for industrial development such as deep-sea technology and low-altitude economy.

This latest action will encourage some university graduates to return to school for further study to acquire more market-competitive skills. Local governments in Zhejiang, Shandong, Anhui, and other regions have developed plans to help China achieve its 2027 goal, including retraining for those who have already obtained degrees. For a long time, students at vocational schools have been eager to enter higher education institutions, but the trend of reversal is remarkable. Some new programs allow university graduates to receive technical training in reverse, known as "bachelor to associate." Last year, a survey by ZhiLian Recruitment found that 52% of university graduates believe additional technical training can increase their employment opportunities.

Like many other countries, China's long-term goal is to reduce the clear barriers between the academic path and the vocational path. This will make it easier for learners to switch between different paths or obtain qualifications that combine elements of both.

Shen Kecheng (音) is a student at Beijing University of Science and Technology. His vocational skills training courses include a lot of hands-on practice, and he likes them very much. He believes his job prospects in the aviation field are good, although he still plans to continue his studies.

He Li (音) is studying at Xi'an Railway Vocational and Technical College. His school has close connections with employers across the country, and a job maintaining the metro system "is waiting for him." "It's impossible for everyone to enter management or sit in an office," he said, "the key is to adapt to the times." (Translated by Zhao Feifei)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7576131805556900362/

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