China steps in with vocational school overhaul and 11 ‘key tasks’ to help boost self-sufficiency and tech prowess

Regional pilot programmes will be set up, and progress will be closely monitored to ensure local authorities are doing enough to bolster the hi-tech talent pool

But education researcher warns that plans are at risk of being put secondary to short-term and superficial political achievements

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A vocational trainer (right) teaches a student how to operate a machine tool at a technical college in China’s Guangdong province. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 10:00am, 19 Jul 2023Updated: 4:52pm, 19 Jul 2023

Education authorities say a nationwide revamp is needed in the way China supports and grows its occupational training system – especially in strategic industries – as a shortfall of skilled engineers and blue-collar workers is curbing the nation’s industrial upgrades and economic aspirations.

To that end, education overseers have issued a list with 11 “key tasks” for local-level authorities to use as basically an occupational-training road map – and their progress will be carefully monitored each year.

In the short to medium-term, local governments have been tasked with bridging occupational schools with industrial companies and research institutions to better accommodate market needs, according to Monday’s online statement by the Ministry of Education.

“The ministry will set up regional pilot programmes in five areas, including advanced rail-transit equipment, aerospace equipment, shipbuilding and marine engineering equipment, new materials, and the weapons industry,” the ministry said.

The notice repeatedly mentions a number of goals for 2025, but the plan appears to be more of an open-ended and progressive undertaking with incremental milestones.

It also underscores how Beijing is stepping in to not only create enough highly skilled workers to fill a large hole in manufacturing and technology sectors, but also to ensure that their degrees don’t go to waste as the nation transitions from a “Made in China” to a “Designed in China” foundation of a more developed economy.

Scientific and technological advancements are also playing an increasingly essential role in dealing with the country’s falling birth rates and ageing population, as experts say the improved quality of the labour force could, to some extent, offset the pitfalls brought by a shrinking population.