Vocational education mavens to gather in Shanghai

The third International Congress on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) will be held in Shanghai from May 13 to 16.

Approximately 500 policymakers, experts and practitioners from more than 100 countries will gather to discuss the global development and crucial issues in vocational education. Nearly 40 ministers of education from around the world have already registered for the Congress.

Du Yue, secretary-general of the national commission for UNESCO under the Ministry of Education, told China Daily that there will be many Fortune 500 companies attending this Congress, such as Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard, to discuss vocational training of human capital globally.

At a news briefing on Wednesday, Ge Daokai, director of the Department of Vocational and Adult Education at the Education Ministry, introduced the activities that China will present during the congress, including a roundtable discussion on the development and challenge of technical and vocational education and training in China.

The congress, called "Building Skills for Work and Life", will aim to improve and expand TVET to ensure that all young people can develop the skills they need.

It is held every 12 years, the last time in Seoul, South Korea, in 1999.

"Instead of rushing to find work, I hope more students will be able to receive one more phase of education after graduating from high school, regardless of their family's financial situation," said Zhang Guangming, director of the China National Center for Student Assistance Administration. "As a big manufacturing country, we need more qualified workers."

A World TVET Report will be distributed to participants to inform and facilitate their deliberation, which will become the guideline for TVET development, including the common trends, regional specificities and statistics.