China gives vocational education a high-tech boost amid labour crunch

It rolls out 40 new majors including in digital technology, AI and biomedicine

- Michelle Ng

BEIJING - When Ms Xia Tianxin, 18, first told her family of her plan to enrol in a vocational school three years ago, her grandparents baulked at the idea.

"To put it bluntly, some people, especially the older generation, think vocational schools are for bad students or those who can't study," she told The Straits Times.

She said her grades were not good and she felt she would struggle if she took the academic route.

"Thankfully, my parents were more progressive and said it was okay for me to attend vocational school as they didn't want me to be overly stressed," said Ms Xia, who is studying financial services and management at Beijing Vocational College of Finance and Commerce.

The attitude of Ms Xia's grandparents towards vocational schools is not uncommon in China, where these schools have long been seen as low-quality.

Since 2022, China has been overhauling its vocational education system, such as by revising a law to give vocational education the same status as general education.

This comes as the country struggles to meet growing demand for skilled blue-collar workers as it modernises its manufacturing and services sectors. China will be short of 30 million such workers by 2025, according to official projections.

On Dec 12, China's Ministry of Education announced a suite of 40 new vocational majors, the largest expansion since 2021. More than half of the courses are in digital technology or advanced manufacturing, and in sectors such as aerospace equipment manufacturing, said the ministry.