Vocational education and training (VET) is pivotal for socio-economic development (OECD, 2023). China, as a major emerging economy, has experienced substantial transformations in its VET system since the 1980s (Xue & Li, 2022; Bai & Yan, 2016). Recently, integrating academic education into higher vocational education (HVE) has become a notable trend, mirroring reforms in many developed countries (Deissinger, 2005; Stasz & Grubb, 1991). China's VET system has been influenced by foreign models over the past decades, particularly Germany's VET system (Wang & Jiang, 2013). The academic shift led to establishing and upgrading up to 51 vocational universities in China, aiming to provide graduates with practical skills and academic degrees to meet the growing demand for a high-quality adaptive workforce. This study explores China's rationale for elevating HVE to the undergraduate level, comparing it with Germany's educational adjustments in response to the Bologna and Copenhagen processes (Powell et al., 2012) by vocationalization of higher education. It employs mixed methods approach to review educational policy documents and briefs from both countries since 2000, and analyze gross enrolment ratio in VET and tertiary education in both countries under the theoretical framework of “reference societies” (Steiner-Khamsi, 2022; Waldow, 2017). Findings imply that China's tailored implementation of transformative system transfers has significantly boosted HVE enrolment and better prepared a skilled workforce for the labour market. Aligning China's HVE with international standards also enhances its capacity for global collaboration with foreign educational institutions and free movement of skilled talents within different systems.

Authors:
Jia Li, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Ewan Wright, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Jia Li is currently a Ph.D. student in Education Policy and Leadership at the Education University of Hong Kong.

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