By Zhou Lingling, Institute of Public Administration and Human Resources, DRC

Research Report, Special Issue, No.34, 2018 (Total 1601) 2018-9-5

Abstract: Based on the facts of the vocational training system reform in the past 40 years of reform and opening up, this report finds out that China’s vocational training system reform has the following characteristics. The basic starting point of the reform is to train knowledgeable, skilled and innovative workers so as to serve the socialist modernization. The principle all along is to take market demand as the direction, and adhere to the balance of different situation guidance and overall planning. The important part is to focus on the integration of production and education, strengthen the key role of enterprises, and coordinate the development of training resources at all levels. The basic strategy is to combine general and supportive policies, integrate the existent and optimize increments. The basic direction is to pay attention to systematic training of diversified talents and to overcome the institutional obstacles between vocational education and general education. The distinctive feature of an innovative vocational training system is the combination of top-level design and vocational exploration, and the blending of induced change and mandatory change. The report also identifies key issues for further reform.

Key words: vocational training, structural reform, 40 years’ review, outlook of reform