Xinhua News Agency reporters Zhang Zhongkai and Niu Shaojie
ZHENGZHOU, April 15 (Xinhua News Agency) — As a graduate of higher education, I am extremely concerned about the learning, living, and employment prospects of students in China's vast number of vocational schools, especially in the highly competitive situation in the job market. I was interested in
Earlier this month, my colleague Niu Shaojie and I went on a reporting trip to central China's Henan province. Henan is one of the most populous provinces with the most vocational education students in the country, which renewed my appreciation for the rapidly growing talent community.
When I drove into the campus of Lihe Technician College in Zhanghe City, Henan Province, I was a little shocked. The driver half-jokingly says that the modern, stylish building rivals some of the most famous universities.
On the first floor of the Urban Training Center on campus, students were working in groups to study the maintenance of automobiles (mostly new energy vehicles).
Training in the rooms on the third floor is more cutting edge. Several students were optimizing programs for mobile robots. There, I met two graduates-turned-technical college teachers who won gold medals in the mobile robot competition at the WorldSkills World Championships two years ago.
Tan Gaoyuan and Hou Kunpeng are both world champions in their early 20s, yet they are extremely humble. “As robotics technology and application scenarios continue to evolve, there is no end to improving technical skills,” Hou said.
Mr. Tan and Mr. Hou are role models for many young students who aspire to excel in their engineering careers.
“I want to win an honor like them,” said Bai Jingke, who is preparing for this year's WorldSkills Competition. His older brother is also a student at the university and is currently working as an intern at a car company as part of the university's training program.
“We can see that society's awareness of vocational education is increasing,” said the university's new president Ma Sen, noting that student enrollment this spring was almost double what it was a year ago.
The growing interest in vocational education is also a result of favorable employment prospects.
Ma said students here do not have to worry about finding employment after graduation. Many of the university's educational programs are co-developed with potential employers, and its highly practical training ensures that students are well prepared for future real-world employment scenarios.
Mr. Ma said the vocational school is adjusting its majors to meet the changing needs of industrial development. The Service Robotics major was established in 2021 to address the growing number of unmanned service scenarios.
The next day, I visited Henan College of Chemical Engineers, a famous vocational school located in Kaifeng, once the ancient capital of China.
I was very impressed to learn that this school has a unique major and that most of its graduates go on to work at leading universities in China such as Peking University and research institutions such as the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
A popular major is electron microscope operation technology, which is widely used in cutting-edge scientific and industrial research sites such as materials science, life science, and the semiconductor industry.
According to the university's president, Yuan Qiaohong, the major was originally scheduled to enroll 40 students this year, but due to the strong number of applicants and market demand, the number was eventually reduced to 100. It has been expanded to.
The strong demand for electron microscopy technicians reflects China's increased R&D investment in modern science.
The total social R&D expenditure in 2023 will increase by 8.1% from the previous year, the proportion of R&D investment in GDP will reach 2.64%, and the proportion of basic research investment in total R&D investment will exceed 6% for the fifth consecutive year. Ta.
To be honest, before I went on this reporting trip, I had some fixed ideas about vocational education. My old school idea is that it's just about teaching the old basic skills to make a living. But after the trip, I even tried to imagine what I would be like if I chose to master a technical profession.
The Chinese government positions the development of skilled human resources as an important means of promoting the development and utilization of human resources, and as an important measure to resolve structural employment imbalances. Currently, China has more than 200 million skilled workers, including more than 60 million highly skilled professionals.
Our growing community of skilled professionals plays a key role in driving China's innovation-driven economic development.
China proposes to promote the establishment of a modern vocational education system, and by the end of 2025, domestic skilled professionals will account for more than 30% of the total employed population, and one-third of skilled personnel will be highly It is expected that he will become a skilled worker. talent.
I don't know what my life would have been like if I had gone to vocational school back then, but I am confident that I will enjoy a promising career in the future as the changing economy offers many opportunities to utilize my talents to the fullest. I am. â–